Operation: Carpe Diem
by The WGPM
Summary: "You know," Phineas started, "If 'every single moment is worth its weight in gold,' then I must be a millionaire. 'Cause this is heavy." New legislation has been passed stating that summer will be ending a month early (kind of a moot point by now, but go with it), and that school will be in session all year long. Could this be the end of summer as we know it? Carpe Diem, people!
1. Chapter 1

**All right, let's get this show on the road! But before I begin I'd like to point out that the idea for this story struck me when I heard a rumor about a similar United States law that might actually be signed. This story is the action I'm taking against it. This might not make sense now but it will in later chapters.  
**

**And what better way to start off than with a song? Phineas gets the first stanza.**

* * *

_Let's make it known  
In a happy tone  
That when we're having fun we're  
Already home.  
We've got a plan  
It's great, it's new  
So come with me, you know it's true:  
I'm lovin' summer and I'm lovin' you._

Isabella caught Phineas's drift and took a stanza of her own:

_I can't help but notice  
That it is in fact warmer  
And when I take a step back  
I remember I'm a former  
Student of the books  
And the computers, too  
But school let out and I instantly flew  
Into love with summer, 'cause I'm lovin' you._

The next one they shared, Ferb strumming away at the instrumentals, as much a part of this as the other two.

_The sun is up.  
The day is young.  
Let's have an adventure  
In the name of fun!  
Nothing's gonna stop us  
_'_Cause our ambitions grew  
And don't make a fuss, 'cause you know it's true:  
I'm lovin' summer and I'm lovin' you._

_I'm lovin' summer-_

Phineas did a somewhat familiar pointing pose to the sky as he said a solo line:

_Oh, how I love the summer!_

Both singers finished the piece, each bursting with happiness but for different reasons.

_I'm lovin' summer and I'm lovin' you!_

Phineas, refreshed by the musical number and at ease after the earlier event, stretched out beneath the large tree in his backyard. "Ha," he started in no rush to move on with his sentence, "Summer rocks. Am I right? Or am I right?"

"Yeah," Isabella agreed, trying to stay in reality after all the sweet, sweet lyrics the boy sang to her. Of course, Isabella knew they were equally meant for his stepbrother, but she let herself bathe in the idea that one day, those words would be meant for her, and only her, and in a slightly more - What's the word? Oh, yeah - _romantic _way. For the moment, though, she decided to go along with Phineas. "But _you_ really make it awesome."

"Thanks!" Exclaimed the boy, taking the compliment as kudos to both Ferb and himself, "By the way, tomorrow we're going to make the first day of August a real summer party. Figuratively, know what I mean? You should come, too."

Isabella got excited. "Me? Well, I would love too! Wait, did you say tomorrow?"

"Yep," was Phineas's reply. He didn't know what tomorrow would bring, and for once this wasn't necessarily a good thing. "Ferb and I are going to get started on it today."

"Uh, I…" Isabella certainly did not expect this reaction from her friend and crush. She blurted the first excuse to leave that came to mind. "I have to go. There's a Fireside Girls meeting, and, you know, I have to be there."

"'Kay then. See ya tomorrow."

"Yeah…" Isabella humored him, "Tomorrow..." And she walked out the gate, worried sick.

"What was that about?" Phineas asked, turning to his brother, who had about a split second to shrug before Candace came hollering out the doorway.

"I'm telling you!" She called inside to her mother, "There were mirrors and a viewing area and everyone was there to watch the sunrise - Hey, are you coming, or what?"

"Just a sec. I keep forgetting to check the mail, and I promised myself it would be the first thing I did today," explained Linda from her bed.

"Okay, okay, but get out here fast!" Candace urged. For the first time that day she got a good look at the backyard, which was unsurprisingly empty. "Ugh. Never mind."

But Linda appeared in the doorway anyway, holding a sheet of paper. "What?" Remarked a defeated Candace, "I said 'never mind'."

Linda wasn't there for just her daughter, though. She continued reading the document in her hand and said slowly, "Kids, you should take a look at this."

Surprised at the change of pace, Candace was only able to utter a "Huh?"

"C'mon inside and we'll discuss over breakfast," Linda said calmly, collected. She was ready to be the bearer of bad news; someone had to do it. Someone had to reveal to the "Kings of Summer" that today was the last day of their reign.

_Ever._

And Linda knew, though not the significance of the news, that it was her responsibility to do so.

* * *

**...And there's Chapter 1. I know it's a little short but hey, I gave you a song. :D And I know what it looks like, but this isn't necessarily going to be a PhineasxIsabella story. I'm just putting that as one of many subplots to be revealed during the course of the whole thing.  
**

**Also, I do not own Phineas and Ferb. (Shocker.)  
**


	2. Chapter 2

Phineas and Ferb had treated themselves to cereal and milk, while Candace sat at the table anxious about what the children's mother had to say. Her redheaded brother was the first to ask, "What's up, Mom?"

Linda sighed, knowing what the response would be from at least two of her children: Phineas would be reluctant to believe it, Candace would probably freak out, and Ferb… Well, who knows?

"I just got this letter, but I haven't been checking the mail, so, this actually came out a week ago," Linda admitted. She slipped on a pair of glasses, then proceeded to read the letter aloud: "'Dear Parents and Students,  
"'As of now, the school year has officially been rescheduled to start on the first day of the month of August. Be prepared for school by then; all students will be expected to be present on said date.'"

Now, Phineas wasn't one to let something like this sink in. "Wha-What do you mean, summer is… Ending?"

"What I mean is, you're going to school tomorrow," said Linda, fearing the worst.

"But - that can't be right. School is supposed to start a month from now. It-It's still summer. Really, what's going on?"

Contrary to her mother's worries, Candace didn't seem upset at the news. Instead, she was visibly annoyed at her brother. "Phineas, deal with it. You can defy gravity, time travel, and read people's minds on your own time if you want to, but even _you_ can't change legislation."

The boy wasn't quite paying attention, however. He was trying to figure out how the law, or whatever it was, was able to be signed without his brother and himself knowing. They had seats on the City Council and wanted to know why this flew under their noses.

Then it hit him. "That darn Board of Selectmen."

"What?" Asked Linda, confused.

"Nothing." Phineas retracted his outburst. He looked down, no longer interested in his cereal. No one really said anything for a few seconds as he stirred his spoon around the bowl. Now, Phineas was aware that school could be fun. He knew it was important. And every year on the last day of summer, Phineas wasn't sad that the vacation was over. He and Ferb had always woke up on the first day of school raring and ready to go. Walking down the halls for the first time since that spring gave them both a feeling that was hard to describe, even for them. And of course it was a good feeling; a wonderful feeling. A sense of importance, of obligation. But still, summer vacation was a large price to pay. "Summer's ending early?! Why?"

"Sorry, Phineas, but that's just what the government decided. That's not all, either," she began reading from the letter again, "It says here that 'school will be in session all year long, and students will have the months of December, May, and October as vacation.'"

"Really? Let me see that." Phineas accepted the sheet of paper from his mother. "Well, this isn't right." He turned to Ferb. "What about all the things we had planned for the summer? I mean, school is great and all, but did they really have to cut summer short?"

"Aw, lighten up, Phineas," Linda tousled her son's hair, "Now, I'm going to Lotsmo to pick up some school supplies, then I'm off to the laundromat to pick up your school clothes."

Candace inspected her mother, not sure if she was exactly ready to go out in public. "Uh…" She prompted, and her mom got the hint.

"Well, of course I'm going to get dressed first," she explained as she left the table for her room.

Phineas wouldn't let the announcement ruin his day, though. To Ferb, he spoke: "Huh. I guess she's right. We'll have a great time in school! I mean, imagine what would happen if no one ever went to school?" He shuddered at the thought. "Yeesh, a summer like this surely wouldn't. Hey, do you know who would love this news? Baljeet."

Ferb said nothing.

* * *

Baljeet sat at his desk, typing furiously on his computer. "I can not believe it!" He said to no one, "School is starting tomorrow and I have only studied for 9 hours in the past week-"

His thoughts were interrupted by none other than Buford, the neighborhood bully. Like he owned the place, he had entered the nerd's room calling, "'Jeet!"

But Baljeet was very used to this, and was more annoyed than anything else. "Not now, Buford!" He sighed. Turning to face him, the boy continued, "There comes a time in a nerd's life when bullies are-"

For the second time that minute, Buford impeded upon him. "Nah, nah, I don't want to hear it. Today's the last day of summer, do you know what that means?"

Bolder than normal, Baljeet had replied with certainty, "It means that you _should_ be breaking out a textbook?"

"No! It means that this is the last full day I get to bully you until next break. _Do you know when that is_?" Taken aback by his 'frenemy's' adamant remark, Buford had Baljeet held up by his shirt.

Now was the first time the Indian boy was nervous. Yet he continued. "To be fair, it is this weekend," he explained.

That was it. Buford was steaming. "Dude, it's the last day of summer! If there's any bully out there who's going to be fair, well, it ain't me!"

Baljeet cringed. "Ooh, you know how I do not like it when you use that word! Now, _please_ leave me alone?" He realized his mistake and continued sheepishly. "C'mon, buddy?"

Thankfully for the boy, Buford had new plans. "Wait, I just realized something! I'm goin' to Phineas and Ferb's house. They're probably already fixing the problem! Later, 'Jeet."

"Boy howdy," Baljeet started, "I hope they fix the problem with him."

* * *

Phineas sat on his bed, looking down. "I can't believe it, Ferb. There's nothing we can do to fix the problem." He sighed, moving his head up but not enough to meet his brother's gaze. "I guess Candace was right."

Ferb hopped off of his own bed and moved onto the S.S. Phineas. He looked at Phin and searched his face for a solution. There always was a solution, and he was sure that once his brother got over the initial loss, there it would be waiting for him.

The redhead lay on his back now, arms outstretched, staring at the ceiling and the clouds painted all over it. How beautiful were the real thing that the boys decided to preserve them in their bedroom, rendering the large, towering, yet somehow friendly cumulus clouds visible in any weather, and yes, in any season.

But all that was in grave danger now. Even Phineas didn't know what to do. "You know," he started, "If 'every single moment is worth its weight in gold,' than I must be a millionaire. 'Cause this is heavy."

Phineas let that hang in the air for a second or two, and he would probably just keep laying there if he hadn't noticed something was missing. "Wait a minute… Where's Perry?"

* * *

Perry, the boys' pet platypus, had strolled into the hallway a _while_ ago. Once he was sure no one was looking, he took out a crisp 1940's fedora, but did not put it on as he normally would. Instead, he placed it on the floor and stepped into the open end. He fell into his lair, and his hat fell on little his platypus head.

His superior, known as Major Monogram, was awaiting him. "Agent P, Agent P!" He called, relieved that Perry could make it. "Thank goodness you're here. As you know, all of the schools in the Tri-State Area are opening early tomorrow. I regret to inform you that this is causing potholes in the agency. Mass confusion mingled with rapid preparation are blowing the covers of even some of our best agents. And… Carl is leaving the agency for the first semester of college."

"That's right, Agent P! I got accepted!" Carl said happily as he stepped onto the screen, clad in his "Undercover Carl" disguise.

Perry simply nodded in congratulations.

The Major, however, was not as impressed. "Carl, what are you wearing? You're going to college, not grade school."

"What? I got the legs for it."

There was an uneasy pause on the other side of the screen while Monogram decided whether or not that was true. "Um… No, you don't."

The intern was forced to explain his reasoning. "I just figured that it would be best to change up my style a bit. Just so no one from O.W.C.A. - or against it - recognizes me."

"Huh. Well, on a more serious note," Major Monogram saluted the retiring intern, "I would like to, on behalf of the entire agency, wish you good fortune in your educational endeavors and honor you for your support of the organization."

Carl was beyond happy. "Thank you, Major!" He dropped his own salute, barely stifling a squeal. "And, I'll miss you too, Agent P."

Perry tipped his hat to Carl, becoming aware that it went both ways.

"But I really should be leaving." Carl clicked his suitcase shut. "The paid intern is out," he said, before kissing his fingers in a "V" shape, "Peace!"

"Well," Major Monogram concluded, "I'm gonna miss that kid. I… Guess the agency won't be the same without him.

"Anyway, Agent P," he collected himself, "We have received word that Doofenshmirtz is currently working on a school-themed -Inator. We need you to get out there and teach him a lesson. Be careful out there, and don't blow your cover. Good luck. Monogram out."

Agent P saluted, and left promptly. He had a job to do.

* * *

**R/R/CD! **(Read, Review, and Carpe Diem. But that goes without saying, right?)****


	3. Chapter 3

Isabella was sure she didn't hear Phineas say what she knew he did. If he and Ferb were in fact planning on doing something tomorrow, it would have to be something a bit smaller than normal what with the school day and probably homework. Then again, in all likeliness they probably weren't going to let that stop them. _Yeah, they have it under control,_ Isabella told herself, _Nothing to worry about. It's not your business anyway._

That wasn't enough to convince her, though. The way he said it, relaxing under the large tree, hands stretched out behind his head. Something about his entire attitude, his choice of words: '_a real summer party..._' His composure told her that something was terribly wrong. And neither Phineas nor Ferb seemed like they were about to do anything about it.

And so, once out of earshot, Isabella began to sort things out. Or at least try to. There was only one explanation, and she didn't like it. "I-I can't believe it. Phineas and Ferb… In _denial_? Surely they learned about summer ending! Those poor, poor kids… I never thought they would react like that! Oh, Phineas, I'll help you out." She let out a small gasp as an idea struck. She whipped out a small cell phone and dialed a familiar number.

The recipient answered quickly. "Gretchen! Get the Fireside Girls together, I'm calling a meeting _now_. We have a code tangerine, I repeat: A code tangerine!"

Gretchen was at her computer, wearing a headphone mic for inexplicable reasons. "I hear you," she reported, "We'll meet you at the Fireside Lodge in 10 minutes."

"Great!" Yelped Isabella, hanging up. She sighed, relieved. "Ah, it's good to have dependable friends like that."

She drummed her fingers against her phone.

* * *

At first, Candace was as surprised as her brothers to find out that summer vacation would come to a close for good tomorrow. After breakfast, she retreated to her room as the boys coincidentally did the same. She was equally upset at the news, and while she didn't know how her brothers would cope, she didn't really care at the moment.

Something else was on her mind. Among other things that gave her reason to cringe at the very thought of going to school early, there was one prominent detail that she didn't want to face up to. And, as confusing as it sounds, that was the exact reason it gave her shivers thinking about it.

Candace was a proud procrastinator who took her brother's sarcastic advice on the first day of summer. Because of the former fact, she didn't regret waiting until the last minute to complete her homework assignment. Unfortunately, the deadline quite literally came sooner than she expected and she had only one day now to find out what she had to do and get it done.

The teen reluctantly strolled over to a drawer in her desk and pulled out two sheets of paper, stapled to each other. One was the assignment itself; when she flipped to the other page she saw a series of blank lines waiting for the scratch of a pencil to make them complete.

Blank lines, staring her down, drilling into her and saying, _You are obligated to do this. If you do not, you will be subject to a miserable and unsuccessful life filled with shame. All because of blank lines._ Glaring at her now, saying, _You had this coming to you. Now you will show up at school tomorrow with blank lines on this page and all of your teachers will hate you and everyone in the class will point and laugh at you and your pitiful blank lines. Unless you sit down in that chair which just became really hard and uncomfortable, pick up a pencil and try to remember how to use it, and somehow put something amazing in each and every one of these horrid, blank lines. You know you can't do it. Admit it._

She couldn't do it.

Candace dropped the papers on her desk and tugged at strands of her hair. After discovering this was painful, she took a deep breath and tried again. She flipped back to the first page and began to read what exactly the project was.

The class was civics. The assignment was to promote better citizenship by highlighting what makes a person a _bad_ citizen. The idea was to find any example of injustice, report it to an authority figure, and document things like how you did it, what makes the offense wrong, and how the community would improve if acts like it ceased to happen. The culprit was to be anonymous, but it (/they) could be anyone, if supported strongly enough. The next page was there to put it all on paper, and the blank lines were now eager to be filled in. And, Candace discovered, the _opportunity_ couldn't have been better.

Even though her brother wasn't present in her room at the time, Candace grinned somewhat evilly and seethed, slowly, "Ferb… I know what I'm gonna do today."

* * *

After changing into her Fireside Girls uniform, Isabella promptly left for the cabin in which the girls held meetings. Collecting herself, she raised her hand and knocked the secret code that was to admit her.

"It's me, Isabella," she explained while doing so. The door opened and the first thing the leader saw was an overexcited member of the troop poised and ready to face an intruder. Isabella could only let out a "Gretchen, put down that-" before she was hit with summer vacation's grenade. "-Water balloon," Isabella finished, now arguably drenched.

Gretchen smiled sheepishly, then hid her weapon of choice, the slingshot, behind her back.

"Oh well, we have more important things to deal with..." Isabella started wringing the water out of her hair.

Milly, ready to move on with the mission, asked, "So, a code tangerine, huh? Is this about Phineas and Ferb, or what?"

"Exactly," Isabella started, "I was visiting them this morning - they invited me to watch the sunrise - and you won't believe what Phineas asked me!"

Holly gasped, sure that today was the day. "Did he finally ask you out?"

Gretchen wasn't amused. "Is that the first place your mind goes to?" She asked. The girls had been waiting for Phineas and Isabella to get together, but sometimes there were more important things.

"Yeah," Ginger agreed, "How would that result in a code tangerine? Denial, remember?"

"Ahem," Isabella cleared her throat, "As unbelievable and _amazing_ as that would be..." She sighed. "No, he didn't 'ask me out.' He invited me to his Big Idea tomorrow."

Six girls gasped in unison. Milly started freaking out. "What are we going to do? If Phineas and Ferb can't deal with the situation, then, then..."

"It'll be okay, Milly, it'll be okay..." Adyson was there to calm her friends if they needed it.

"Our heroes fall..." Gretchen looked on the brink of fainting.

"Woah, Gretchen. That was very 'Irving' of you."

At Isabella's comment, all sounds were cut and all eyes were on Gretchen. "Uh..." The girl stammered.

Thankfully, the awkwardness did not last long. Isabella started explaining herself in quite a rambly tone. "I just don't know what to do! I mean, summer is _ending_ and Phineas still hasn't noticed me. I mean, what if -" she shuddered at the thought - "What if I don't see him until next break and- and- and he starts to like someone else? Huh? And from the looks of it, it doesn't seem like they're gonna _do_ anything about it. I mean - No summer vacation for the rest of their lives? Could you imagine? They're the _kings_ of summer! And they just - and they just..."

"Sh, sh, calm down, Chief." Adyson was comforting her, speaking slowly and quietly, as if performing hypnosis. "Everything's gonna be fine. Relax, okay? It'll be fine..."

Isabella wasn't sure if she wanted to believe this, but she gave her friend a chance. "...Really?" She asked, hopeful.

"Of course!" Adyson stated triumphantly.

"How do you know?"

Ginger took over. "Well for one, the next break is this weekend."

"C'mon, Isabella," Adyson started, smiling warmly. "The time will come. It might not be today, but one day maybe when the two of you are older, he'll see you, you'll see him, it'll all play out from there. And Isabella, as far as Phineas falling for anyone else? Well, if he hasn't noticed _you_ yet, there's no way anyone is going to take him easily. Besides," she held up her sash. "_Three_ 'Save Your Friend from an Emotional Breakdown' patches doesn't just happen."

There was no arguing with that. "I guess you're right. But if you're going for another one, then-"

The door opened mid-sentence, and the last person anyone expected stood in the doorway.


	4. Chapter 4

Phineas walked in with a slight smile. "Whatcha doin'?" He asked.

Isabella turned around. "Be careful. You only get four of those," she warned. She was concluding her previous thought to Adyson, explaining that one can only earn four of the patches they were talking about.

Gretchen piped up. "Phineas and Ferb!"

"Hi, ladies!" The former called, trying to start off on the right foot. Unless he's left-footed. Last time I checked though, he was ambidextrous…

"Uh, Isabella told me there was a meeting about now, so, uh, if we're not interrupting anything, I'd like to talk to you about something."

"Sure, Phineas," Isabella invited, concerned, "Anything at all."

"So, uh, I guess you all heard about summer, huh?" The Fireside Girls all nodded, each producing small moans. "Well, Ferb and I just found out today. Some turn of events, right?" Again with the nodding and moaning. There was empathy in his eyes as he kept everyone positive. "So, this might sound weird, but… I don't - I don't know what to do. I guess the shock of losing summer forever just sort of… I dunno, I just - huh. I was wondering if anyone had any ideas. Will you help me?"

"Yes, Phineas! I _will_!" Isabella cried happily to herself, lost in her imagination.

"_Isabella_…" Katie called.

"Isabella, snap out of it," Holly whispered, and the girl came back to reality.

"Oh, right," she recovered, "Yeah, we'll help out."

"Okay..." Phineas answered. He was still out of it. "Anyone have any ideas?"

At this question, a few side conversations formulated. The one in which Phineas was engaged concerned why exactly school could get undesirable.

"It's just... You know, routine, mundane, there's little room for creativity."

"Phineas gets fidgety whenever we start the geometry unit," Ginger explained.

"Hey, if anyone ever put a protractor up to _your_ head, you'd be somewhat uncomfortable too," Phineas looked at Isabella as he said this, "I mean, at least Ferb has those _right angles_."

"Guilty," Isabella admitted, "I was curious! But seriously, no one has _anything_?"

"Well, uh, we should start with what we're up against," Phineas suggested.

Isabella was glad everyone was back on topic. "The legislation?"

"That's it. So, what exactly is our goal?"

Before anyone could answer the question, a certain bully appeared in the frame of the doorway. "To make summa last foreva!" Buford proclaimed. Everyone turned, excluding Isabella.

"Go ahead, Gretchen," she permitted, "I know you want to."

She lobbed a water balloon at him. "Score!" She yipped.

Unhappy, Buford crossed his arms. "Yeah, that wasn't funny."

Unintimidated, Gretchen continued to boast, "You know what isn't funny? My 'Perfect Accuracy with a Slingshot' Accomplishment Patch."

"Not to mention your 'Humility' Patch," Ginger quipped.

"We all have our strengths," Isabella said in Gretchen's defense. She turned to Buford. "Now, what are _you_ doing here?"

"I came to find Phineas and Ferb," he explained, "Baljeet wouldn't come, so I came here myself. Problem?"

"Not… That I'm aware of." Phineas asked, "Is there something we can help you with?"

"Duh! Whatcha doin' 'bout summer, huh?"

Isabella glared daggers in Buford's general direction.

Phineas put his hand to his 'chin' and began to think. Up until now, there was something blocking his thoughts. The sadness that would come if he didn't think of a plan. Now, however, his own mind was like an open book to him. The solution, like Ferb had predicted, was finally revealing itself, and Phineas's genius was taking off, ready to soar.

"Funny you should ask," he said to Buford.

Isabella saw this light dawning on Phineas's face. "Why?" She asked, releasing the excitement and hope in the room.

"Because I know what we're gonna do today! Ferb?"

Ferb started singing, his accent highlighting each word and adding a sense of importance to the lyrics and each person they stood for.

_I've come upon a realization.  
There's a problem concerning education.  
And while I don't think it's an abomination,  
We _are _the manifestation of summer vacation!_

_We're the classification of utilization!  
We're the celebration of modernization!  
We're the generation of mechanization!  
We're the manifestation of summer vacation._

_We're the personification of exaggeration!  
We're the continuation of collaboration!  
We're the fortification of gratification!  
We're the manifestation of summer vacation._

_We're the maximization of the imagination!  
We're the dramatization of appreciation!  
We're the injustification of procrastination!  
We're the manifestation of summer vacation._

_And with the execution of this operation,  
And the delegation of our small nation,  
We can be the termination of the extermination  
Of our inspiration, our dear summer vacation._

A cheer arose from the Fireside Lodge, and for once, summer vacation looked up.


	5. Chapter 5

**Y'know, the abbreviation for this story is OCD... I was talking about it with my brother one day and our mom overheard and thought he was accusing me of having the disorder.**

**I always end up the most coincidental title abbreviations.**

* * *

_Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated!_

Perry made his way to his nemesis's building. He moved around a wall slowly, searching for a trap. Thinking the coast was clear, he sprinted to a far wall. Unfortunately, Perry was mistaken. Before he could slink out of sight, he found himself trapped by... A failed math test? (See "One Good Scare Ought to do It!")

The thing was, the trap/costume didn't exactly fit him. He shoved both paws through the arm holes in an attempt to at least be comfortable. This he failed at (but in fairness he was indifferent). On its way through the hole, however, Agent P's wrist communicationizer had bumped on and was currently sending video footage of the scene to a random suburban house. The platypus was oblivious to this.

"Ah, Perry the Platypus," the evil scientist began, "How delightful to see you. By now I hope you know that by 'delightful,' I mean, absolutely lightful! Anyway, how do you like my trap? I got it at a 'nerds-only' Halloween costume shop. Don't ask me how I got in, it's a long story involving a waffle and three rubber band bracelets - you know, those ones teenagers wear, they get like ten of them and a watch one arm, then grow out their hair 'cause they think it makes them look cool? Anyway, like I said, it's a long story. So, Perry the Platypus. I bet you're wondering, 'Why the school-themed trap?' Well, since you didn't ask, I'll tell you.

"It started about a week ago when I checked my mail. I received a letter saying that school was starting a month early and my daughter Vanessa was going to have to attend it tomorrow. Obviously this is a big deal, Perry the Platypus! My brother Roger, who you know is the mayor, is clearly the one who signed it. So when I read the letter it was like-" he recreated his reaction - Dr. Doofenshmirtz's eyes widened, and he held the back of his head in shock. "Roger? You're going evil?!" He continued explaining, saying, "Because he must be evil to make a law like that. So, I am going to take advantage of his evil scheme with this! Behold, Perry the Platypus, the Fail-Inator! Using this machine, I will shoot every student in the Tri-State Area, except Vanessa, with a ray that causes people to do poorly on their tests and quizzes. Well, actually it causes one to fail to achieve their ultimate goal, which will be, of course, to do well in school. Then, Vanessa will go to the front of the class, and because she's evil-" he knocked on a wooden cabinet - "every student will look up to her and make me their leader!"

Perry wasn't sure it was that simple. He couldn't help but think that this, like most of Dr. D's plans, was missing a little something called... Relevance.

"I know what you're thinking Perry the Platypus, but it will work, trust me. Remember that one time at the scrapyard rave? It's going to work, I'm confident in this one. I can be cool."

_Not without my help_, Perry thought, remembering the incident. _Good times. Then again, here _I_ am stuck in a failed math test costume._

Vanessa, who was present for the end of her father's plan and was now relaxing on the couch, finally inserted her input. "Dad, stop using me as a part of your work. I didn't ask to look like a geek because of your evil invention," she started muttering, "That Mom's not gonna see anyway..."

"Oh Vanessa, stop being such a spoil-sport. Don't you want to become popular?"

"I just don't want to be embarrassed in front of my friends."

"Exactly."

"Oh, whatever. It's probably not going to work anyway."

Vanessa took out a pair of headphones, put them in, and turned most of her attention to the music playing from them. "See, Perry the Platypus?" Doof retorted, "Disapproval is one of the first signs of evil."

Vanessa turned the volume up a bit.

* * *

"So, here's the plan," Phineas started. He, Ferb, Isabella, Buford, and all of the Fireside Girls were gathered in his backyard. "We need to prove that summer vacation is not only necessary for children's sanity, but also for their capabilities in the field of education. We need to show everyone that children everywhere are capable of doing the impossible _every day_, if only given the chance. Summer vacation gives them that chance. So, I propose a plan to have the legislation repealed.

"Phase I: We hire news cameras and interviewers to gain the public's attention. I think that will be a sitch. Phase II: We recruit all children in Danville to help in the restoration of _every_ Big Idea from all summer long. I'm talkin' rollercoasters, Spinning Tops of Doom, a haunted house, that-" he thought for a moment, but could not recall its name- "_thing_ \- from the blackout - anything we have blueprints for. Also during Phase II, we send small groups out to get a petition going. Get adults involved. By that time, efforts from Phase I will allow the whole thing to be broadcast all over the Tri-State Area, hopefully reaching City Hall. Phase III: We bring the whole operation, plus the petitions, to the high courts, where the decision will be made: Will summer live or die? Will children retain liberation, or will they - will we - be subject to limited recreational freedom all year long? That is the question, comrades - and, if we do this, our triumph is inevitable! Now, all we need is a name - a representation of what will save summer vacation once and for all! What's this?"

Ferb had handed him a clipboard, with three words written on it. Three words that had the potential to change everything. "Ferb, you're a genius!" Phineas praised, "Alright, any objections to Operation: Carpe Diem for the name of the compilation of every Big Idea and the three said phases to be enacted today? All in favor of the name, say 'Yay.'"

Sure enough, everyone said "Yay!"

"Than it's unanimous. Fireside Girls, your mission is to gain recruits," Phineas instructed.

"Already on it," replied Adyson with a salute.

"Buford and Isabella, you'll stay here with Ferb to start working on the projects. I'll go get the media involved, and we'll all meet back here at noon. Okay?"

Ferb gave his brother a thumbs-up. Isabella sighed. "Sounds good," she said.

* * *

_Beep, beep! Beep,_ _beep!_

A strange noise started coming from a box next to Doofenshmirtz's television set. The man became distracted and started to explain the sound. "I-I'm sorry, but I gotta take this. My News-Inator tells me when something important's happening. So I can stay 'connected,' know what I mean? And by the way, Perry the Platypus, my evil work for today is pretty much done - I mean, I just had to build the Fail-Inator for tomorrow - so there's nothing for you to do now. So, I'll just move you over here..." Doofenshmirtz picked up Perry's trap and set it down next to a chair. "...And you can watch the news with me! I know, it's lame, but I put a filter on the News-Inator." He clicked on the television, and Perry had to admit, he was quite proud of what he saw.


	6. Chapter 6

A reporter was sitting in a comfortable chair across from a certain pointy-nosed child. Between the two seats stood a small, wooden table with nothing on it. The room was very well lit, and background noise could be heard.

"Breaking news!" The man started enthusiastically, "Coming to you live this morning from the Googleplex Mall, I, Franklin Du Bois, am meeting with a boy by the recognizable name of Phineas Flynn, who has an announcement to make. It appears that he and a group of friends are attempting to repeal the recent legislation banning summer vacation. Now let's see what Phineas has to say."

Phineas, who has seen news people do the same, looked directly at the camera for a few heated seconds before continuing. During the awkward hesitation, anyone watching could see the needle-like shape of the front of Phineas's face. Once he decided he waited long enough, he spoke: "You heard right, boys and girls and slightly older boys and girls. I recently learned of the injustice being brought upon children in grades kindergarten though twelfth. Now, before anything else, I do realize the importance of education and understand what is trying to be accomplished by the enforcement of the new school schedule. My friends and myself alike respect the wishes of those who believe it will be beneficial to the people whom it affects. However, the difference between our team and those who choose to comply with the law is the simple fact that _we value summer vacation_. That is why I am here today. I am speaking now to everyone who agrees with me: I have initiated efforts to undo what has been done, to end what has been started, to abate what has been bated."

"Well, there you have it, folks," concluded the reporter, "If you would like to aid in the effort, I understand that-" he turned to Phineas- "you _are_ accepting funding?"

"Uh, of course we will accept it but, to be clear, all we really ask is that you give us your attention and support. Soon, there will be petitions going around that adults can sign. Kids can get involved too, just by joining our team, which is called Operation: Carpe Diem. If you want to save summer vacation, you can start by calling this number-" Phineas was caught off-guard when tangible numbers appeared above his head. "Woah! It actually appeared! I never knew they actually show up! How cool is that?" The boy stood up on his chair, hopped a few times, and leapt for the lower curve of a 5. After swinging on it back and forth a couple of times, he climbed up the edge and straddled the number.

"Phineas... What are you doing?" The reporter asked, "And what do you say we start being serious now? See, I am in reality a huge fan of your work and have a few questions."

From where he was lounging on the 5, Phineas answered, "Fire away."

And fire away he did. Excitedly, the grown man started pelting his kid hero with questions. "Do you really like cheesecake? With or without fruit? What's your favorite pizza topping? Do you keep a diary? Ooh, what's your favorite nail color? And _why_ are you so fascinated with that five?"

"Um..." Phineas hesitated not because of the sudden barrage of inquiries, but because oddly enough this had been a brief déjà vu moment for him. "Hm. Mom's, yes; I like blueberry; anything other than anchovies; well, Ferb keeps a log; and... Interesting question. I guess... Turquoise? Like my pet platypus. Oh, and because it's my third favorite number."

"Ugh! I knew that, too."

* * *

Isabella cut the power on the television. "Well, it looks like Phineas is doing well without me..." She said, making a mental note to get turquoise nail polish next time she went out, "I guess I should go help Ferb and Buford."

She stepped outside and asked flatly, "Whatcha doin'?"

Her neutral expression changed to one of horror as she saw a large steel beam swinging towards her head. At the last second, her Fireside Girl skills kicked in and she ducked into a rollout.

Isabella's emotions changed again, this time from terrified to unimpressed, when she saw who was carrying the girder. Buford chuckled to himself at the prank, but stopped promptly when he received a glare from Isabella.

"Uh.. Sorry," he offered after realizing his mistake, "Hey, give me a hand with this steel beam, huh?"

"Sure thing," Isabella asked, "Where are we taking this?"

"It's gonna be part of the elevator to the moon."

"Ah."

They set down the rod. "Ferb's over there at the rollercoaster if you want to check in with him," Buford suggested, and Isabella, figuring she had nothing better to do, decided to take him up on that offer. She had something she wanted to get off her back anyway.

Placing one hand above the next, the girl started to ascend the frame of the thrill ride. Even now, before it was in operation, the project was giving her the shivers at being so high. "Ferb?" Isabella called once in earshot.

Ferb looked up only enough to see her.

"Hey, uh, is... There anything I can do to, uh, to help?"

The green-haired boy could think of about a hundred things she could be doing, but he saw something in Isabella that told him she had to speak with him. So he invited her to let it out.

"Y-Yeah, I... Ugh, he's just so oblivious! I'm worried, Ferb. Can you help me? I mean, you know Phineas pretty well. Is it just me? Or is it him?"

Ferb looked up at Isabella. "He has triangle-head syndrome," he explained casually, "It does things to your mind."

Isabella furrowed her nonexistent eyebrows. "Really?"

"No, not really."

Isabella sighed. Or laughed. Your choice.

Not wanting to leave his friend hanging, Ferb did choose to answer her question, however. To him, Phineas was a wonderful brother, and a wonderful person. He never meant to hurt anyone, especially Isabella. But Ferb had to admit, Phineas was a little - okay, a lot - oblivious. That time, for example, when the children were discussing holidays and how there was a slight lack of them in summer. Except for 'No Talking Day,' (_That_ was an experience Ferb wouldn't mind dismissing) and a couple others, the three months were not very eventful in those terms.

So the conversation opened up for the anticipation of holidays in other seasons. Poor Isabella had begun by pointing out how many days there were between then and Valentine's Day. "You know, Phineas," she had started, "Valentine's day is only 214 days away..."

"And if you convert _that_ to potatoes it's about three and a half bushels," Phineas commented, and no one objected. Another obvious hint bites the dust.

"Seriously, though," Ferb concluded, "It's him."

* * *

Meanwhile at the D.E.I. building, Doofenshmirtz was responding aloud to what he had just witnessed on the news report. "Ugh, people can be really obsessive sometimes, Perry the Platypus, know what I'm talking about? I mean, if there was a bunch of people out there getting all excited to be able to meet _me_, I'd..."

There was an awkward pause as Doofy thought of a way to safely finish that sentence.

"...I'd use them as an army that would do my bidding and help me take over the Tri-State Area! Yeah, that's what I'd do."

Agent P removed his fedora, withdrawing a sheet of crisp gold star stickers. He took one off, licked the back of it, cringed at the taste, and placed it neatly over the "F." For good measure, he then ripped the costume off and achieved escape.

"What?" Doofenshmirtz accused, "I told you I'm not using this today, Perry the Platypus. What are you doing? Hey! Don't touch that, it's-!"

While his nemesis was speaking, Perry had advanced on the machine and was about to land a punch to its control center when ZAP! He pulled his hand away in slight pain and looked at the doctor as if to say, _What the heck was that!?_

"See, I was just telling you," Dr. D explained, "It's protected by an electromagnetic force field. It can't be deactivated unless I push this button." He held up a remote control. "And don't think about trying to get it, Perry the Platypus, because the remote is staying on _my person_. That's right, Perry the Platypus. There's nothing you can do to stop me now. Tomorrow, my annoying little brother Roger will see how evil is really done! Wait... Perry the Platypus, I think I've got an even better plan for this thing." Doofenshmirtz patted his invention proudly, receiving a small electric shock. "Rr!" He cried in frustration more than pain.

* * *

Stacy saw it all. From her room she had observed every detail of what had transpired between Perry and Dr. Doofenshmirtz. Shocked at what she was watching but at the same time fascinated that she could see exactly what Perry does every day, she started dissecting what she experienced. "Hm... It's weird how this video message of Perry somehow reached me of all people. So, this pharmacist - oh, not a pharmacist, right. He wants to use the idea of school starting early to take over the Tri-State Area? That Fail-Inator thingy looks pretty foolproof. If only there was some way to help Perry."

Ginger chose that moment to enter her sister's room. "Oh, there you are, Stacy!" The Fireside Girl said brightly, "I would like to ask you something."

Thinking fast, Stacy mashed the power button on her computer, shouting randomly, "Uh, uh, it's not my ferret!"

Ginger rolled her eyes. Candace was obviously rubbing off on the teenager. "Ooookay, Stacy," she dismissed, "So um, could you do me a favor? Phineas and Ferb are working on a project to save summer vacation, and you know, we can use all the help we can get."

"A way to keep kids from failing their tests... It's tempting. Ack!" At that moment, Stacy's cell phone was violently vibrating in her pocket. "Man, this thing is like a taser! Sorry Ginger, could I take this? Thanks."

Candace's voice rung out from the cell as soon as Stacy accepted the call. "Stacy! Have you heard what Phineas and Ferb are doing?"

"Yeah, Ginger was just telling me about it," she replied. Then she became concerned when she realized what was probably going through her friend's mind. "You're not thinking about-"

"Oh-ho-ho, yes I am. Come on, how is Mom not going to see when they go to court with it? And on the off-chance that they fail-" Candace chuckled - "then there I have my civics project! It'll be epic!"

Stacy sighed. "Candace, you don't want summer vacation? Did you forget about something called, you know, fun?"

From deep in Candace's subconsciousness, in the space inhabited only by long-forgotten memories, came the answer. "Look, Stacy. No offense, but fun isn't really on my agenda. You know, ever since Phineas and Ferb built the rollercoaster, I've been focused on one thing, and one thing only: They're going down, down, down..."

"Down, down, down, I know." Stacy's voice faltered a bit as she continued, "But what about BFF's, or slumber parties, or defeating an evil tyrant?"

"Defeating an evil tyrant?"

"I don't know, it sounded appropriate. Anyway, I don't know why you're being so single-minded about this. I was just thinking about joining your brothers, actually. I mean, who knows if someone outside ourselves can actually benefit from this?"

"Yeah, I don't think so. Not a chance."

"Huh. I kind of liked the idea."

"But, but, but..."

Wonderful. Just terrific. Now, Stacy was torn between her friend and her sister: She could join Phineas and Ferb in whatever they wanted to do. That way she could help Agent P by rendering the phar - uh, _evil scientist_'s plans ineffective. And Stacy saw what would happen if she _didn't_ join them. Besides - Candace's brothers were cool. They probably had something amazing in store for her. And now that Stacy thought about it, she wanted summer vacation back. However, she could hardly bring herself to think of the repercussions if she betrayed Candace and her motives, however imprudent. She tried convincing her friend to change her point of view; that failed. The only thing Stacy could do if she wanted to continue to be Candace's best friend forever was to join her side. And she wanted to be Candace's friend. She had only one choice. Blood is thicker than water, true; but that is why water can waste away quicker than blood.

"Fine, I'll help you out," Stacy reasoned, "But if I end up failing because... Because I didn't have enough time to study, it's your fault."

"Yay!" Candace chirped, "You won't regret it."

She hung up. Stacy turned to her younger sister. "Ginger, do me a favor?" She asked.

"What is it?"

"Don't fail. Just..." Stacy tripped over the words. "Don't fail. Okay?"

"Okay, Stacy. Anything for you."


	7. Chapter 7

Figures. Today was the last day of summer, the last chance she had to bust her dad, and all Vanessa had to show for it was a streak of bust-less alternating weekends. "Ugh," she muttered under the sounds of rock music pouring from her phone. "I can't believe school is starting tomorrow and my dad is _still_ at it with Perry. And I'm _sooo_ bored..."

A knock on the apartment door interrupted her thoughts. Vanessa turned off her music, set her cell phone on a coffee table, and looked to see who was there. Through the window she saw a small blonde girl, about nine, ten years of age, staring at her with pleading eyes and a sweet smile. The teen opened the door.

"Hey, aren't you one of those Firestorm Girls my dad buys from?" She asked, literally looking down at the guest.

"Um... That's an interesting name, but actually, it's Fire_side_ Girls," Katie corrected.

"Hm. I must be thinking of something else. So, what do you want?"

"I was wondering if you would like to help save summer vacation. It'll be really fun..." And suddenly the big eyes got larger.

"You're cute," Vanessa offered, still not revealing her stance. "Out of curiosity though, what would I have to do?"

Katie withdrew a pamphlet and handed it to Vanessa."Well, a couple of my friends are going to be building some amazing contraptions that will prove that kids are capable of using the time they have in summer to do incredible things. Everyone is welcome to join."

_Amazing contraptions, huh?_ Vanessa thought, not ready yet to commit to helping. _Now, why isn't that surprising?_

"But it's like, 80 degrees out. That sounds... Terrible. Wait, what are your friends' names?"

Katie beamed. "Phineas and Ferb! Surely you've heard of them?"

Now Vanessa had Katie's full attention. "Actually, I have."

"Great! So, what do you say? We can really use your help."

The teen considered her options. She could join those kids and possibly buy more time to bust Dr. D, or she could sit here sulking. Both perspectives were - ugh, who was she kidding? Vanessa knew what she was going to do. "Oh, what the heck. My teacher is a platypus anyway."

"Yay!" Cried Katie happily. She thrust both fists in the air. Her cuteness irked the punk teen, who believed the girl was just using it as a form of persuasion.

"Seriously, you can drop the act now. I get it."

Katie, devoid of her previous personality, spit on the floor and said stubbornly, "Good, I was getting tired of it. Let's blow this joint."

* * *

Jenny was down. She carried an orange and black sign dejectedly. "I don't understand," she complained, "How can the media be so focused on some useless legislation that it can't make room for a Bengal Tiger presentation? They're practically extinct! And, if I don't find something to protest about soon-" she spotted Milly, who had heard everything Jenny said. "Hi," she greeted, embarrassed.

"I think I can help you," Milly started, "How'd you like to like to peacefully protest for the revival of summer vacation everywhere?"

"Well, sounds interesting," Jenny agreed, "Do you mind if I bring Django?"

"Not at all! The more the merrier, you know?"

* * *

Gretchen peered over the fence in her friends' backyard. She was looking for someone whom she knew would be a great help to the cause.

"Irving?" She called. There was no answer. "Hello? That's weird. He's usually here."

A head popped up on the other side, startling Gretchen and causing her to nearly lose her grip on the fence. Irving grabbed her hands to keep her from falling. "Relax, I got you," he said, "And I know what you're going to ask me. I'll do it!"

"...Well... That was easier than I thought it would be..."

"I was just making copies of that petition. You want to join me?" Irving offered. Gretchen saw a stack of papers, neatly placed on top of each other, on the opposite side of the fence.

"Uh... Sure?"

"Great, let's go!" Irving leapt down. "I've got the UPFDS!"

Gretchen moaned, than reluctantly followed on the other side.

* * *

"Phineas! Phineas!"

As a general rule, if anyone was calling the boy's name in that manner, chances are it was Candace. This time, however, the culprit was Holly, searching the now crowded backyard for the inventor.

"You know, 'noticeably warmer' is a bit of an understatement," Phineas pointed out. "Who do you suppose came up with that, anyway?"

"I haven't the slightest," Ferb answered.

"Phineas... Oh, there you are," Holly said, "I ran out of flyers."

Retrieving some extra paper, Phineas handed it to the Fireside Girl. "I've got more, here you go." From the corner of his eye, the boy saw a somewhat familiar figure. "Hey, look! It's that kid from that day, Carl. Wanna see if he'll help?"

"Sure thing!" Holly reported, skipping toward the passing intern. Phineas turned to his brother.

"Seriously, how many minor characters are going to be in this?"

Ferb simply shrugged.

"Excuse me, mister," Holly called, and Carl turned. He was on his way home from his last day of work at the agency, but he still had a cover to hold up. "Hi, I was wondering if you could help a couple of my friends out. We're going to try to move back the first day of school to the normal date, removing the legislation that could potentially break down the structure of a top-secret organization that uses animals wearing hats to fight evil, aaaand also for the sake of not going to school in summer."

Carl was stunned. "How could you possibly know that?"

"Well, because during the month of August, the Northern Hemisphere of the Earth is pointed toward the sun, and-"

"No, about the whole agency thing."

"Oh, simple," Holly explained, "I'm the only one in my troop who has the 'Inexplicably-Know-SomethingYou-Shouldn't-Because-it-Helps-The-Plot-And-Because-the-Author-is-Somewhat-Lazy-but-Thinks-This-is-Humorous' Accomplishment patch!"

"I'm not sure that's-"

"I put it right next to my 'Break the Fourth Wall' Patch."

Carl thought about that for a moment. "That explains a lot about this scene, actually."

"So you'll do it?" Holly asked, suddenly back on topic.

"Y-Yeah, I'll do it," Carl agreed. "Besides, it'll help Agent P in his mission against Doofenshmirtz and his school-themed -Inator."

"Who?"

"No one!" Carl had to think fast. "As a matter of fact, have... You ever used a monkey wrench?"

* * *

Ginger sure hoped the next confrontation would go better than the one with her sister. Knowing Baljeet, though, that wasn't likely.

She knocked on the door of the Tjinder household, and soon Baljeet's mother had welcomed her. "Hello, Mrs. Tjinder. Is Baljeet home?"

"Sure, he is in his room," the woman answered, "Do not expect much from him though; he is studying for school tomorrow."

"That's okay," Ginger said brightly. She had anticipated this. "I just wanted to speak with him for a moment."

"Go ahead."

"Thanks!"

Having disappeared for about four chapters, Baljeet believed he could sit the whole day out with his textbooks and calculators and encyclopedias. He was mistaken, however, something he discovered when he heard a tapping at his bedroom door.

Sighing, Baljeet looked up from his studies and announced, "Buford, do not come in. I previously told you I am busy."

Confused and not sure whether or not she should take offense, Ginger peeked in and asked, "Is my knock _that_ much like Buford's?"

Baljeet turned around in his chair to face her fully, "Oh! My apologies, Ginger. Do come in, but please make it quick. I still have plenty of work to do."

"Um, yeah..."Ginger got suddenly nervous. "I was wondering if you can help me with something. It's... About Phineas and Ferb, actually."

"I am sorry, but I can not comply. I have to finish this by tomorrow." He swiveled around in his computer chair to face his work, only to be turned back around by Ginger.

"No, Baljeet," the girl attempted, "Phineas and Ferb want your help to restore summer vacation. We - _I_ \- need you-"

"Are you crazy!?" Baljeet's outburst startled both of them. "Why would _I_ aid in the efforts that would postpone and limit such a great thing as education? The answer is _no_, Ginger."

The pain shown on the Fireside Girl's face, and Baljeet regretted what he said immediately, though he still stood by every word.

"Baljeet, get a hold of yourself," Ginger pleaded, "What are you doing? You _want_ to have school all year long, do you not?"

Regret changed to confusion on the nerd's face. "Well, frankly, yes. That would be enjoyable."

"That is my point! You _do_ have school all year long. Exactly how many summer school classes are you taking?"

"Seventeen, but what does... Oh. OH! Ginger, you are correct! We have to save summer vacation. Surely there are not enough resources to make extracurricular classes during each of the months given as breaks. I will run completely dry during those months!" Caught up in the realization, Baljeet pulled in Ginger for a tight hug. "Ginger, you are a genius!"

Excited, he took the dazed girl's hand and pulled her out of the room, but not before shutting down his personal computer.


	8. Chapter 8

**So, this is interesting: Last chapter was actually a filler in disguise. I figured getting every character involved that I can would just add some epic-ness (I guess) to the story, and I figured I could use a chapter to explain each person's involvement in it. To make it less boring, though, I decided to mash together some fourth-wall jokes (I can't resist), some BaljeetxGinger (support who you must), and yet another "S(WDWB?)" joke, and I'm glad to see that those things did their job. Anyway, on with the next chapter!**

* * *

"Looks like we rounded up quite the team," Phineas observed. He and everyone involved in the operation were in his backyard on Maple Drive. Phineas was assigning everyone their projects. "We'll have to split up to get everything finished. Ferb, you can continue working on the rollercoaster with... Vanessa, you want to join him?"

Ferb looked up to the teen, and Vanessa agreed.

"Buford, you start tackling the restaurant. Not literally," Phineas instructed.

"Good, 'cause your cooking stinks. And for the record, so do you."

"Baljeet, you go find out what the tip of a shoelace is, then promote it."

"Besides Buford, who is going to care?"

Phineas didn't answer Baljeet's question. "Carl, you can..." He tried to think of something the new kid could take care of, but wasn't sure what he was capable of. However, he found he didn't have to decide.

"Oh, I'll hop on the Evil Fan - Uh, 'Anti-Gravity Fun Launcher'," Carl suggested.

"He must speak anagram. Coltrane, you can handle the rock wall. Albert, we have a large order of licorice on the way. It's your job to re-recreate the Gordian Knot. Jeremy, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like you to restore the 'Flying car of the Future, Today.' Gretchen, Holly, Adyson, Ginger, Katie, and Milly, you go work with Irving to get the petitions signed."

"If we split up we can cover more area," Gretchen added.

"Agreed," piped Milly.

"Everyone, I have all the blueprints you need here. If you want assistance, you know where to find me. Now, let's move, people!" The sense of urgency in Phineas's voice was rather Candace-2-like as he got the entire child population of Danville to work for his cause.

"Wait! Phineas!" Isabella called, Jenny close behind. "What can we do? You still-"

"-Haven't gave-"

"-Us anything to-"

"-This is weird."

"Yeah, it's like-"

"Wait, wait." Phineas was ready to find out why Isabella and Jenny were able to cut each other off, yet not be able to speak at the same time. "On three, both of you ask where Perry is. One, two, three!"

"Where's-"

"-Perry?"

"Wow," Phin commented, "That is weird."

* * *

"So... Can I tell you something?"

Ferb blinked at Vanessa, curious as to what she could possibly want to confide in him.

The teen sighed. "Well, see, my dad's evil, and, as weird as that sounds... I've been trying to get my mom to see his crazy inventions all summer long. And, she never sees them! But... Summer is what you make of it, and if I can't bust my dad by the time school starts, I - I guess that means I wasted my summer. Right? I just don't know what to do."

The two were sitting together in a rollercoaster car, a mechanical arm placing new track down in front of them. From where they were, they were able to see the projects recreated all over Danville from S'fall to a monster truck to a miniature golf course. As it inched along, the machine kept rhythm to the silence that took up half of the conversation. Now, however, Ferb thought about what Vanessa was asking of him and realized he _did_ have something to contribute.

He leaned in and whispered in her ear two of his favorite words. "Carpe Diem."

"Excuse me?" Vanessa asked. She was not as familiar with the term. "Oh, that's Latin, right? Seize the day."

A few arm movements later, Vanessa was facing forward again, her eyes closed, and suddenly a beautiful sound poured from her lips as she sang: "_And you don't have to build a rollercoaster..._"

Ferb couldn't help but to join her. He did not sing in the first production of the song, but knew every word by heart. "_To find your own way to make the most of these..._"

"_Days of summer..._"

"_And dance to the beat of a different drummer..._"

Vanessa hummed the next line for the both of them. "Ironic that we're singing _that_ while actually building a rollercoaster," she pointed out half-jokingly. She then realized where she was - more specifically, the altitude of her location. "Wait, uh...

"Ever since the Tokyo Tower incident, I've... Developed a certain..." She didn't want to admit this, "...Fear of heights?"

It was now or never, Ferb reasoned, and he took Vanessa's hand. The girl turned to face him fully, wondering what exactly was going through this kid's mind. Then realizing that this was a question probably best left unanswered.

"Th-Thanks," she started, "Actually, the sunset doesn't look that bad from up here... Wait, the sunset?!" One could be sure they heard a record scratch. "Ferb, is there going to be enough time to carry out the operation before tomorrow? Was my summer a waste after all?"

Ferb blinked reassuringly. Somehow.

"Yeah, I could calm down," Vanessa admitted. She peered out at the street, spotting someone familiar. "Hey, isn't that your sister?"

Ferb looked out as well, saw Candace, and nodded.

"Mind if I say hi?"

The boy lowered the track for a dip in the ride squatty enough for Vanessa to step out onto the ground. He stopped construction for a moment while the teen exited the car.

"Thank you, Ferb," she started, "And, uh, would you mind not telling anyone about my acrophobia? It's... Kinda embarrassing, which is something I've learned to deal with, but, could you help me out?"

Ferb nodded. Did anyone really have to ask him to keep a secret?

"Thanks again. Carpe Diem, Ferb."

Someone who knew Ferb very well could make out traces of a smile as he leaned back, kicked his feet up, and resumed construction on the rollercoaster.

* * *

"You know, Perry the Platypus?" Dr. Doofenshmirtz began, "I've been thinking. What am I really getting at here? For the moment, nothing. So... I've decided that I _am_ going to use this today. How, you ask? Simple. I am going to use this machine on Roger, whose ultimate goal is to be a good politician, obviously. So, he'll fail, and be a bad politician, and then people will want someone _else_ to be mayor. And, who will take his place? Yours truly, of course! Ha! It's foolproof!

"You know, I don't know why I haven't thought of this in the first place." He moved toward the invention, forgetting once again that it was protected. "So, I'll just aim this towards City Hall, and - Ack!" Finally, Doofenshmirtz deactivated the force field, saying, "Remind me not to do that again. Anyway, I have to make sure to hit Roger with this, so I'll aim it towards his place. Of course, I can't guarantee that I'll get Roger with this on the first shot - What are the chances of that, right? - so, I'll just make sure to stay in that area. Rapid fire mode... On!"

Only one ray was able to escape before Perry sprung into action. Thinking fast, he moved the -Inator away from its position aiming at City Hall, and swiveled the barrel towards a more suburban part of the Tri-State Area.

"Hey, look what you did! Perry the Platypus, don't-"

Perry was fumbling with some of the controls. "Aim locked," a computerized voice announced.

"...Do just that, what you just did there. Ugh, remember what happened last time you didn't listen to me? What's it even hitting that's so important, anyway?"

* * *

Phineas climbed onto a platform high above his house. "So, looks like the 'Flying car of the Future, Today' is coming along nicely," he said.

"Well... It's _still_ pulling a bit to the right," Jeremy explained.

"Uh, that's okay, I guess...Just try to fix that. And look!" Phineas bent over to pick something up. As he did so, a blue ray of light flashed by where he was standing. "I found bolt number 473. Is that important?"

A beat passed. "I don't think so," Jeremy replied, and both were satisfied with the answer.

"Okay. Have fun." And Phineas was gone, leaving for another place. The blonde teen went back to working on the car, whistling away, as another blue beam briefly flashed above his head.

Phineas started to ascend the frame of the rollercoaster. "Ferb! The rollercoaster finished yet?" He called.

Hearing his brother, Ferb offered a thumbs-up.

"Great! Did Vanessa leave?"

Ferb searched the street below, seeing her chatting with the boys' sister. Once locating them, he pointed and Phineas understood. "I see," Phin said as he reached the top and Ferb. "So, looks like everything's just about finished, huh?" Ferb nodded in affirmation.

"Wonderful. First things first, we'll go to City Hall. There, we can verify our case and hopefully be in court by sundown."

Ferb just blinked, looking into the sky. Was Vanessa right? _Was_ there enough time?

Of course there was! As long as everyone stayed positive, things were sure to turn out fine.

Phineas noticed. "Yeah, that is some view, isn't it?" He asked, "And you know what I see? Nothing, Ferb! Nothing's in our way now. We can't fail!"

As if to prove Phineas wrong, a third blue Fail-Inator beam came hurtling towards their hands and collided with the brothers as they shared a high five.

* * *

**This opens up a bunch of questions: What did the very first beam hit? What are Candace and Vanessa talking about? _Was_ bolt 473 important? Where's Perry? Why can't Isabella and Jenny speak at the same time? (Give you a hint: They have the same voice actress.) What does the word 'squatty' mean? And most importantly, how are P&amp;F going to save summer vacation now? Most of these questions to be answered in the next chapter!**

**R/R/CD. :)**


	9. Chapter 9

Phineas landed softly on the ground. "Great! looks like everything's ready," he announced, "Irving, bring the spy cameras. We're going to City Hall!"

"Ugh," Candace groaned as she watched from a distance. She was still waiting for Stacy to join her. "City Hall? Really? They're such dorks. So _busted_ dorks!"

"Wait, wait. Did I hear 'busted'?"

Candace looked up to see Vanessa approaching her. "Well, yeah," she explained, "Where were you the past few seasons?"

"Uh, in the B-plot."

"There's a B-plot?"

"No," Vanessa realized the consequences of telling Candace that and answered hastily. Candace bought it.

"Huh," she said, "I didn't know you were into busting, Vanessa."

"Oh, don't get me started. My dad is always doing something... Irresponsible, for lack of a better word."

For a moment, Candace thought this would end the same way her acquaintanceship with Mandy went. Nah, it probably won't.

"Same here!" Candace said excitedly, "You've seen what my brothers can do. It's so dangerous and obnoxious - Wait a minute. What are you doing in my backyard? Are you _h__elping_ them?"

"Is that a _problem_?"

"Well yeah, it would mean I have to bust _you_ too. And that would be... Weird."

Vanessa, having taken offense at the accusation of siding with bustworthy people, began to get inherently defensive. "For your information, my dad's project requires school to start tomorrow in order to succeed. So, if you're against opposition to that, _I'm_ gonna have to bust _you_."

Both teens realized the situation they were in, simultaneously concluding, "So what you're saying is..."

Candace was the first to recover. "Oh, it's on, girlfriend. You're goin' down."

"Oh, you did _not_ just call me girlfriend, _girlfriend_," Vanessa said, "We'll see who gets busted."

A familiar tune came from somewhere as Vanessa started singing:

_I'm aware of your intentions_  
_And to think that I'm naïve-!_  
_Well, I'll show you what I can do_  
_And that looks can deceive._

Candace felt the same way:

_So you say it's all just drama?_  
_Well my friend, you are dead wrong!  
__This'll be an apprehension:_

(Both sing from here on out:)

_I've been training for this day all summer long!_

_Don't think you're gonna win this time  
'Cause you wrongly believe that I won't get sublime on you!_

_I'll get ya, yeah!_

_I'll get ya!_

_And when I'm through, you're gonna be busted!_

_(Busted!)_

_I don't wanna put the hurt on you,  
But you'd better believe me when I tell you  
All the things that I am gonna do!  
_

_You're busted!_

_(Busted!)_

_Yeah, I'll school you how to do it right!  
This is how it's gonna be when I show you I can stand up and fight!  
_

_You're busted!_

* * *

_Long ago, I took the crown;  
I'm the queen of '_You're goin' down._'  
My years, your tears, and all your fears  
Will make for quite the pound.  
_

_And I don't care what you've said;  
Let me get this through your head:  
Now believe me,  
(Believe me)  
You start with a 'B.'  
(Start with a 'B.')  
And go B-U-S-T-E-D;  
You are busted!_

_(Busted!)_

_And I don't wanna put the hurt on you,_  
_But you'd better believe me when I tell you_  
_All the things that I am gonna do_

_(I'll miss ya!)_

_You're busted!_

_(Don't think you're gonna win this time!)_

_Yeah, I'll school you how to do it right!_  
_(When I get sublime on you!)_  
_This is how it's gonna be when I show you  
__(I'll get ya, yeah! I'll get ya!)  
__I can stand up and fight!_

_You're busted!_

* * *

"Come on, Perry the Platypus, what's your problem?" Doofenshmirtz complained, "Now the machine is just going to keep firing until it runs out of battery."

Not if Perry could help it. The platypus took out a rubber cap and placed it over the ray on the -Inator.

"Seriously. _Where_ do you keep all that stuff?"

Ignoring the doctor's question, Perry stepped back and watched his new device cover the ray. Another shot fired, hitting the gadget, which then fell to the ground, useless.

"Hah! It even works on inanimate objects like your -Inator ray blocking... Cap... Thingamajig. Hey, I know I already asked this, but what is the beam hitting?"

Both man and monotreme peered off the balcony. Dr. D cupped his hands around his eyes as if making them binoculars.

"Huh. You know, I can't really see through the amusement park down there, but it looks like it's hitting a second-story window of a suburban house facing its backyard. I guess it'll just keep opening and closing." He took off his 'binoculars,' looked at them funny, and commented, "Wow, these things really work when there's no beaver tail covering them.

"Hey, what are you doing with that? Give me the-" Perry had reached in his nemesis's pocket and extracted the remote controlling the force field. He activated it and was now holding the remote over the edge of the balcony.

"Oh, don't you dare drop that, Perry the Platypus, I'll-"

Perry dropped the remote, letting gravity do its thing.

"Stop cutting me off! As I was saying...

"Noooooo! Ah, look what you did, now I can't unlock the aim! Curse you, Perry the Platypus!"

Perry flew off the side of the skyscraper, unsure of why the doctor was already cursing him. His work was far from done. He had things to do, like find out what happened to the first blast. And what he was to do about Candace's misbehaving window. Of all places it could have been aimed, the beam had to hit his own family's house? Perry blamed his poor thinking for not making sure to hit something that it wouldn't affect, like grass in a field. Why couldn't he have thought to aim for grass? _Thank goodness it's not hitting anyone_, Perry thought. He couldn't bring himself to imagine the consequences of an -Inator ray hitting his boys, and to learn that a blast was his own fault would crush him.

Arriving at City Hall, Perry knew he was too late to stop the first beam, but he also knew it was his job to clean up after his nemesis.


	10. Chapter 10

"This is it, everyone. At long last, we have reached City Hall."

And with that, Phineas turned to knock on the large doors of the government building. Upon receiving no response after about ten seconds, he rang the doorbell. "Hm," he contemplated, "Is no one home?"

The door opened and in its frame stood the mayor's secretary, Melanie.

The woman gazed across but did not see anyone at eye level. Looking down, she spotted Phineas and Ferb with many children and a few teenagers at their side.

"Oh, hello, little boy," she said to Phineas, "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Well, yeah," Phin answered, "We're here for the Flynn-Fletcher vs. Tri-State Board of Education case."

"The what?"

"We all came here to try to change a piece of legislation. Didn't you hear about it?" Phineas asked. "I mean, it was all over the news, and-"

"Look, kid," Melanie said, trying to be polite. "You're cute. But we actually have something very important going on in the courts right now."

"What? What's going on? I called in about this case earlier..."

Melanie looked at a clipboard she was holding. She lifted up a page or two, saying, "Well, let me see if I have anything here. Oh, it appears you're right. So, _you're_ Flynn-Fletcher vs. Tri-State Board of Ed.?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Hm... Perhaps we can schedule a trial for next week."

"Next week!?" Phineas said, alarmed, "With all due respect, we need to get this resolved today, ma'am. Sorry, but there just isn't any time to waste."

"I'm afraid I can't help you," Melanie admitted, "All of the judges are assigned to the impeachment trial right now-"

"Impeachment trial?" Vanessa interjected, "Who's getting impeached!?"

"Didn't you hear?" Asked the secretary, "The mayor, Roger Doofenshmirtz, is under the threat of removal from office."

"But-But that can't happen," Vanessa explained, "Roger Doofenshmirtz is my uncle."

"Oh, so you're Vanessa? I've heard about you."

"Yeah, yeah, don't celebrate it. But could you tell me what happened? Uncle Roger seems so unlikely to fail in politics-" Vanessa put two and two together. "Oh... Oh, no."

"I don't really know what happened. He was seen being hit with a blue beam a few hours ago, and suddenly everyone started to get bored with his leadership. Then someone pointed out his indifference on the new school legislation - the one you're challenging - and used it as political firepower against him. The decision is pretty much unanimous, so the trial will probably be over in about an hour."

"But, but, but..." Phineas stammered.

"Sorry, but you're going to have to wait. Have a nice day." Melanie closed the door before Phineas could further object.

"Uh..." The redhead turned to face his companions, crushed. Everyone who had supported him was there, watching as the brothers, for once in their life, had failed. They failed to complete the mission in time, they failed to learn about the condition of the mayor, and most disappointing of all, they failed to save summer.

"Uh... That's... Interesting news, right?" Phineas tried his very best to keep positive. "A... Blue... Beam..."

It all came back to him. Earlier that day, atop the completed rollercoaster. The high five, a sign of accomplishment, of victory; and, as if drenched in irony, it had been the cause of the heroes' downfall. The blue beam that had enveloped them had the power to beat such a successful politician as Roger Doofenshmirtz at his own game. Imagine the damage it can do to a mere couple of high-fiving kids.

"You know, I guess I've been underestimating things like that all summer," Phineas concluded, "It's become natural by now."

"So... What now?" Isabella asked, "Do we go home?"

Phineas knew there wasn't really anything more he could do. It was the deserted island all over again. All of his friends there, counting on him, relying on his leadership to ease them all out of a gave situation. For a moment, Phineas thought it unfair to place all this pressure on a child his age; then he realized how unfair it was for him to arrive at that conclusion. Phineas was able to overcome virtually any challenge thrown at him, and with Ferb's help, the two were unstoppable. This time though, there wasn't even a ridiculous sponge and starfish to give a second of false hope. One of Phineas's promises to himself was to always look on the bright side, and if things looked bad, he taught himself to kick it up a notch. It has become one of his best-kept promises and most important goals. And for some reason, now he was unable to succeed even at that.

"I... Guess..." Phineas responded unnaturally. He began singing, preserving a tune from early that morning:

(Note: Many people will be singing this, so the lyrics will be in script form.)

**Phineas:** _Guys, let's go home_,  
_To a place of our own._  
_It looks like now, we've lost the throne._  
**Ferb:** _I believe it's time to bid adieu_  
_To fun, we lost, we failed, who knew?_  
**Both:** _I'm missing summer and I'm missing you._

**Ginger:** _We all walk away now_;  
**Isabella:** _Our hearts lie on the floor._  
**Gretchen:** _We thought we were endowed_  
**Holly:** _With just a little bit more_.  
**Milly:** _I heard the world's a stage;_  
**Adyson:** _So much for a debut_.  
**Katie:** _We were going to engage but we couldn't break through_.  
**All FS Girls:** _We're missing summer and we're missing you._

**Phineas:** _What could we have done to fix this?_  
**Vanessa:** _What more could people want?  
_**Jenny:** _We fell into an abyss_.  
**Jeremy:** _We weren't nonchalant_.  
**Django:** _We had a better world view_,  
**Carl:** _But now all we have is rue_;  
**All:** _I'm missing summer and I'm missing you._

_I'm missing summer-_

(Phineas, choking back tears, leaned on Ferb for support as he whispered a solo line:)

**Phineas:** _Oh, how I miss you, summer..._

**All:** _We're missing summer,_

**Phineas:** _And I'm missing you._

* * *

Perry had a lot to take in. In addition to learning that Doof's -Inator beam had, despite all probabilities, hit its target on the first try, he had to watch his boys - his family - walk home heartbroken and parodying the upbeat, happy song from this morning.

What surprised him most, however, was with whom they were walking home: Carl and Vanessa. Both of them in the same place? That alone would account for mild surprise for Perry; unless, of course, they were fighting each other alongside Doofenshmirtz and Major Monogram. In that case, the agent would join the intern. However, Carl was now retired from the agency - Oh, that's right! Wow, Perry thought he would never see his co-worker again after this morning. And Vanessa, last Perry checked, was moping around the D.E.I. Building complaining to her dad about how evil she (thankfully ((for her))) wasn't.

But Carl _and_ Vanessa _and_ Phineas and Ferb? Singing together in the _same_ stanza? Working for the _same_ cause? Using italics _four_ \- no, five - times in the same paragraph?

How unlikely.

Perry was able to recover quickly, however. He had seen the damage and knew what he had to do to fix it. There was one slight problem with his plan, however; the machine had been locked and there was no way to aim it. What's the go-to item for situations like these, though? Perry knew just what it was and just how to get a big one.

From where he hid spying on City Hall, he strapped on a jetpack and made sure to beat the boys home.

* * *

"Aw, that song was kind of sad," Candace admitted. She gasped maniacally and pulled out a notepad on which she scribbled furiously. "I know! I can use that for my confession part. This keeps getting better and better! C'mon, Stace!" Candace pulled her friend's head out of where it was buried in her phone. "What are you doing on that?"

"Nothing, I, uh, was just checking my, uh, email, and uh, yeah." In reality, Stacy was still watching the video footage of everyone's favorite secret agent being broadcast from her phone. She was late in her meeting with her enthusiastic BFF because she had to find a way to download it to her mobile, but eventually she found a way to put it on an SD card that fit in both her phone and PC. To avoid suspicion, Stacy had muted the volume, but whenever Candace turned her back Stacy was eagerly keeping an eye on her bros' pet and was ready to act on what she saw if the need arises. Because she had access to the information, she felt as if it was her duty to be a last resort if Perry could use assistance. (Plus, it was entertaining to see his mission unfold; her favorite part was the unique camera angle.) "Where are we going?" Stacy asked.

"I think I'm ready to start the final copy!" The teen explained as she hopped on her bike and raced for her room, making three separate parties headed for the same destination; and for the most part, they were unaware of each other. "Ha! My brothers and Vanessa are so busted!"

* * *

"Agent P, you're here!" Major Monogram observed from his side of the large screen in Perry's lair. "What happened? Do you need reinforcements?"

The platypus walked up to a control panel under the screen and held his hand up to the major, chattering without looking up, in an act of polite refusal. He removed a certain locket from his neck and showed it to his superior.

"Oh, your owners? Are they in trouble?" Monogram interpreted.

Agent P shook his head, pointing to his fedora then pointing to the locket.

Major Monogram got it this time. "Oh, you want to use the Autoscan Replication System. Permission granted, Agent P."

As most light left the room, Perry chattered in thank-you and activated the system. A female voice automatically asked for his key. He unfolded the locket, smiling at the picture. Then he punched in some codes to the system while the computerized voice continued:

"Welcome, Agent P, and thank you for choosing-" he was still typing at this point and a new command cut the woman off- "Autoscan Replication initiated."

Agent Perry the Platypus knew what he had to do and was sure as the Giant Floating Baby Head is inexplicable that he was _not_ going to fail.

* * *

The next people to reach the Flynn-Fletcher household were Candace and Stacy themselves. Without bothering to make use of the kickstand, Candace almost literally threw her bicycle into the garage before sprinting into the house and up the stairs to her bedroom, Stacy following shortly behind. The latter had almost learned that falling up the stairs _was_ possible when she didn't bother to look up from her phone.

Candace took out the stapled sheets of paper and the fine ballpoint pen she used to compose an essay earlier this summer about a similar subject. And to think - a metaphor-less old coot had outwritten her? She had certainly been cheated out of that mayor-for-a-day thing.

Oh well. Candace flipped to the second page and produced her notepad. After filling out the first couple of (no longer) blank lines, the teen noticed a weird sound seemingly emanating from the backyard. "What's that?" She asked Stacy, who was paying close to no attention.

"What's what? What are we? Where's my toothbrush?"

Candace rolled her eyes, and as she did so, Stacy whipped out her cell for a split second before Candace explained, "That noise. Wait for it... There!" And she turned to the window as her friend turned back to the video. Which she put away when Candace asked, "You don't hear that?"

"I don't know... Don't you think it's a little drafty in here though?"

"Um, first of all, how do you not know if you hear something and second, yeah, it is kinda drafty. What do you suppose is going on?"

"I wouldn't know."

"Hey, there it is again!" Candace faced her window again and Stacy resumed the video.

"Huh," Candace said, "I don't remember leaving my window open_."_ She went to close it but found the backyard full of each and every seemingly impossible project standing in view if one looked out enough. "Stacy, look at this!"

"What is it?" The girl asked, pocketing her cell phone again.

"Check this out. I-It's beautiful!" And for Candace, it was. Every chance she had to bring justice to the family and finally prove her worth as a responsible older sister was blown so far, but now Candace was fairly certain that every chance she was given had all come back at once in a chorus of, "You can do it, Candace!" And "You show 'em, sister!"

As Stacy went back to her studies, Candace took it all in. The sights, the sounds, that terrific energy that summer just kind of has. All her crazy explanations would finally make sense; all her somewhat violent endeavors to get her mother where the action was would be forgiven; her annoying, stubborn, witty, mocking, bothersome nuisances known to elder sisters as little brothers would finally learn what she can do, how she does things, how they can't just choose not to coöperate with her, and would go down to the ground and drill into the Earth because there was no limit to the trouble they would be in now that she was pulling off her ultimate goal, would be conclusively, decidedly, exactly, for sure, precisely, emphatically and definitely, unconventionally and unambiguously BUSTED.

Through the crowd of inventions and toys, Candace spotted something peculiar off in the distance. Something... Blue... And flying right for her face!

Thinking fast, Candace backed herself and her friend into her room, thrust the window closed, and locked it, gasping, "Oh, no you don't." A moment later, the window was unlocked and opening again. But Candace was safe.

* * *

**Well, either that or something so anticlimactic I might as well make this the last chapter. But no one wants that, right?**

**And now, to reply to some reviews:**

**Jet Engine: Yeah, but it looks like he's taking it pretty well. I didn't want to hurt Perry!**

**Guest: Actually, I have put music to the first song. Think of every stanza as a sort of a rising chromatic scale, though I'm not quite sure on which note it starts. That's pretty much the same for the one in this here chapter. With a fast tempo, if that helps. And the "Manifestation of Summer Vacation" one kind of speaks (sings?) for itself; with a rhyme scheme like A,A,A,A,A,A,A,A,A, etc. it's all about how the reader wants to interpret the rhythm. And hmm, I haven't seen anything that would imply that Vanessa quit busting, so... I'm just gonna roll with it, okay? (*awkward silence*) See? The crickets agree with me. **

**Treemist1022: Glad you like it! And yay, I broke 10 reviews! Anyway, ****Carpe Diem you, too (Is it just me, or is that becoming more and more of a greeting/farewell in this fandom? Ah well.).**


	11. Chapter 11

**So, I felt like I needed yet another subplot in here, so I magically ended up with this chapter. It's a doozy.**

* * *

Linda Flynn-Fletcher was just fine doing things on her own. She would often go to a supermarket on her lonesome or run off by herself to a library. Today, her trip was to a department store, then to a laundromat. It was as she emerged from there with the clothing of her three children that she had beared witness to something astounding - it appeared that while she was running errands individually, the entire Tri-State Area had been changed. Remodeled. Modernized. In fact, Linda discovered that she couldn't turn her head a single direction without facing some sort of large contraption, amusement park ride, or 3,000 story building. Confused but able to dismiss what she saw as none of her business, she loaded the clean clothes into the back of her sedan and headed home. To the mother, the mysterious construction projects were simply the beginning to a very interesting string of newfound cognizances.

"Oh. My gosh." Candace snapped up from her work at the sound of the front door opening. "Stacy. Mom's home. And- " she made sure everything was in place, and it was- "It's all still here! Let's move, this is it!"Candace rushed downstairs from her room and almost tripped down the flight, and did not notice that Stacy wasn't following, but she didn't care. The teen nearly threw herself over her mother, who was - Somehow! Finally! - here at the same time her brothers' inventions were. Yes, that's invention_s_, plural, with a 's.' Candace thought for sure she was dreaming. _Everything_ was right there before the very eyes of her oblivious mother. Could it be? That wonderful moment where Phineas and Ferb would be busted? Not only that, but Vanessa, too - no, everyone involved in Operation: Carpe Diem - she could now consider conclusively, blah, blah, blah, precisely, etcetera, etcetera, _busted_. That day: Was it today?

Apparently so! "Mom, Mom, you're here!" Candace exclaimed, "I can't believe it! Did you see everything outside? Did ya? Come on - you saw everything out there, right? You know what all that is?"

"Woah there, Candace. What's going on? Why are you so excited?" Linda asked. She had to hold onto her daughter's wrists to keep her from doing something borderline dangerous in her enthusiasm.

"It's Phineas and Ferb! Don't you see what they did? Come on, let's go outside and you'll see it all. Quickly!" Candace urged her mother back out the front door where each Big Idea remained intact and in the same position it was moments before.

"Wait... Phineas and Ferb made _all_ of this?" Linda finally asked. Candace was ecstatic. She asked the question! Now it needed answered:

"Yes! Everything I told you about, see? It's all right here! Look-" Candace turned her mother's head- "There's the rollercoaster, there's that giant fort, there's the cruise ship, a random stranger wearing Ferb's clothes..."

At this, the man turned and waved a friendly "Hi there!"

"Don't you understand? I've been trying to get you to see all summer long. Thanks for pulling through." And Candace squeezed her mom a little too tightly.

Linda, on the other hand, was not receiving the information well. "You mean - it all - all of it - you weren't - you're not - it was - but - wait, what?" She stuttered.

"Yes, Mom." Candace let go. "Now, riddle me this: How much trouble are they in? What are you going to do to them?"

"Trouble?" Linda questioned, "For making all of this? I - I don't know if that's necessary, Candace. What about this is so wrong?"

"Wait, you don't see any way a couple of little kids can hurt themselves with these things? See that? That's a _rocket engine_, Mom. You have to put a stop to this."

"Well, I guess you're right... I just don't believe it. Where are they now? I want to have a word with them. Immediately." And now Linda was angry. Her sons had actually done what Candace had claimed they had, and all without her permission. Or money. Wait, how were they able to even _get_ that much money?

"They're on their way now."

"Okay... Candace, don't you have homework to do? Why don't you go finish that? And don't worry. I'll make sure the boys get what they deserve. Just finish your project. It's getting late."

Candace smiled. "Alright," she said, "But can you sign something for me?"

"Sure, Candace. I'll meet you inside in a few."

* * *

After a few, the teen was busy doing her homework and her mom had collected herself enough to wander back inside. Meanwhile, Perry was having a bit of a difficult time getting a 5-foot-long funhouse mirror through a hole in the living room wall that leads to his lair. He had disabled the wind that would normally pull anything into it so that he could safely retrieve his prize. However, it was just a little bigger than Perry anticipated.

He just about had it through when two things happened: One, the frame was caught in the hole and was suddenly in a very delicate position. Any push or pull in the wrong place and the entire thing would shatter. And two, Linda had chosen that moment to walk curiously into the room.

Abandoning the mirror and leaving it hanging awkwardly out above the couch, Perry took his chances and fled behind the piece of furniture. He watched in horror as the woman gasped, "What the peanut butter!?" At her twisted image reflected by the mirror, then dropped to the ground in shock. Eyes widening, Perry ran to her side to make sure his mom - he considered her that - was okay. And the platypus was relieved beyond belief that she was. She had simply fainted out of shock after seeing one too many strange happenings.

Making sure his surroundings were vacant of any more people, Perry took her to the couch and hefted her body onto it. Carefully removing the mirror and placing it next to the seat, he left promptly for the kitchen. Thankfully, the boys weren't home yet, the children's father was at work, and Candace was still busy upstairs. He returned with a glass of water and was sure to regret his next action. Perry knew it was his only choice. Yes, his cover would be blown. And yes, when Linda woke up she would not be comfortable. But it was worth it to save the woman.

Inhaling slowly, Perry splashed the water on Linda's face and set the cup on the floor. He watched with hopeful eyes as his mom stirred awake. She started muttering, "Oh, you won't believe what kind of dream I had. Everything Candace said turned out to be true, and the schools..." She looked directly at Perry. "...You're not Lawrence."

Perry shook his head sadly. He backed away to let Linda sit up properly. "Where am I? And who are - wait... Perry?"

The agent tipped his hat and chattered solemnly. "So that means... Candace _was_ right? Oh, and what are you doing with that hat? It's like you're a little secret agent or something. Like that plant."

The monotreme sighed, or came as close as you can with a bill, and shamefully withdrew a pamphlet for the third time that summer. "So you've discovered your pet is a secret agent..." Linda started, "Hm. Well, I suppose today can't get any weirder."

Perry gave her an 'Oh, please,' look before showing her the print on the next page. "Oh," Linda said, discovering the reason Perry had to keep his identity a secret even from her. "Don't worry, Perry. I'll keep your secret."

Once again, the platypus wagged his head and folded the pamphlet, neatly tucking it away. He knew that the O.W.C.A. would find out soon enough and he didn't want to get into any more trouble by hiding information from them. Instead, he held his hand out as an offer to join him in his mission. He sure could use the help. Linda finally accepted, and Perry helped her up off the couch.

Pointing to the entrance to his lair, Perry invited the woman to go ahead of him. It was a tight fit, but Linda was able to make it down safely. Perry appeared moments later, falling on her lap. Major Monogram was not present, thankfully, so Perry led her to the back of the room where a few more projects that Phineas and Ferb forgot - including the platypult, Perry's personal favorite - had been recreated.

"There are _more_?" Linda asked, and for a moment, Perry feared she might faint again. She showed no other sign of this, however, easing Perry's mind a little.

He withdrew a notepad and scribbled, barely legible, "Help me move these?"

"Where?" Linda inquired, confused, "And how?"

"Outside," Perry wrote, "And very carefully."

"Fair enough," Linda agreed, and started helping the platypus, nearly forgetting that she was supposed to be mad at her children. Even she had to admit, being a secret agent (even if not officially) was quite fun.


	12. Chapter 12

**I have two words for all of you: _writers' block_. It stinks. It really does. Ironically, this is the longest chapter so far...**

* * *

"So, how do I work the - aaaah!"

Linda was having some trouble operating the jet pack she was issued, but with Perry at her side, she was a little bit more comfortable. The woman felt exhilarated at the experience of taking off like a rocket into the almost-night sky. In fact, she found the sensation to be like that of riding an elevator (she was half expecting to hear the instrumental of her single play); like riding an elevator with no floors or walls or a ceiling and no way to control one's movement not only in the vertical direction but also in those of horizontal and even diagonal calibers.

Perry, following closely behind in his hoverjet, cringed slightly at the sight of his caretaker as she wobbled unsteadily around some of the more interestingly shaped condos and apartments in a path as twisted and confounding as the Gordian Knot itself. He wished he could find a way to offer her a ride in his vehicle, but it was only designed to hold one platypus and the addition of a full-grown woman would not bring anyone anywhere. So Perry sped up to meet Linda and try to usher her in the right direction, thinking only one thing: _This is going to be a long flight._

* * *

_Hold it, hold it. First of all, Candace is actually busting her brothers? And, like, succeeding? And second, Perry _knows_ about this!?_

Maybe we should backtrack. When Candace left for her mother, Stacy was still sitting on the pink bed watching the Perry channel on her cellular telephone. She would have joined her friend if in the two seconds following her disappearance Perry did not take a look at his wrist communicationizer, tip his hat to Stacy acknowledging her ability to see everything he did, and leave her thinking - well, uh, that.

Much to the teen's surprise, the platypus did not disable the video. He figured that Stacy was more likely to let his secret slip if she was denied access to the information he had let her obtain. In fact, he knew since Stacy moved the footage to her phone that she was watching; the cell's inner-facing camera had automatically started sending her side of the video to his device (courtesy of O.W.C.A modifications to the design), and he decided then to keep her posted just in case he needed the assistance. He knew from her relationship with Candace that Stacy was loyal and would do anything for a friend, even if perhaps we are discussing the pet of the brothers of a friend.

As Stacy watched Perry complete his interactions with that Danville Water and Power head (apparently Agent P's superior), she had not taken notice of the fact that Candace had left and expected her to follow. The Tri-State Area was at stake, and Stacy knew it. When her friend left, Stacy turned the volume back on enough to hear the major and the computer which Perry was using. Apparently, Perry was able to recreate any and all of Phineas and Ferbs' inventions - which, in itself, was cool on a large scale - but as Stacy learned this she began to feel a pang of hurt. If the answer to all Candace's 'busting' problems was sleeping on her bed every afternoon, then just imagine the kind of summer she and Stacy could have had together. If Agent P could have given Candace what she needed to accomplish her goal, what had kept her and Stacy from just hanging out and being teens could have been resolved months ago.

But that wasn't the Candace Stacy knew. As long as she could still bust, Candace was herself; and that Candace was as much a part of Stacy's BFF as anything else.

After concluding additionally that Perry just couldn't simply pull a large contraption out of his lair at all, much less without blowing his precious cover, the girl started to feel a different kind of emotion: fear. Oh, yes; now this Dr. - Meddleshmirtz, was it? - was making Stacy feel only a little less than terrified.

She thought back to the day she first encountered the strange man: One minute, she was watching a horror movie feeling relieved for her friend's sake that Candace wasn't there (the spiders alone would keep her up for weeks, the poor arachnophobe); the next, she was hiding behind her couch from a battle between an anthropomorphic platypus and what looked like a pharmacist with only one shoe on, complete with giant bug bus, huge hole in her wall, and oil all over the place. And in comparison with those of her friends, Stacy's life was considered normal!

But alas, the evil scientist she had only saw for eleven minutes was now sending chills down Stacy's spine. To think that the goofy-looking man had taken Mayor Roger Doofenshmirtz out of office... It shook her something awful. Especially when she looked back down at her mobile to see nothing but static running down the screen.

* * *

Carl simply didn't know what to do with himself. How could he have been so selfish as to leave O.W.C.A. for his own good rather than focusing on what had made him choose to intern there in the first place? Granted, there was some (But only a little!) hacking involved in landing the job, but Carl was that sure the major had chosen him of all the applicants to work in the organization because of his simple desire to do good. Or, more specifically, to please; all Carl ever wanted was to spread good feelings and encourage others to.

Although admittedly, there was one flaw in Carl's behavior on the subject. He needed to know that he was appreciated. He had done a lot that would have seemed ridiculous if he didn't posses that one quality. Yes, the unpaid intern was constantly trying to impress, to get some kind of reaction, even going so far once as to keep Monty's one secret from his father. Carl didn't like the direction in which the teen's relationship with a sworn enemy's daughter was going. As much respect as Carl had for Montgomery, he simply hated the deception and mistrust swarming around in the atmosphere when anyone mentioned both Vanessa and Monty in the same conversation. In Carl's eyes, the quicker that ended, the better; besides, Monty had taken a lot of well-deserved attention from Carl in the case of Major Monogram. That, and the fact that it was incredibly hard for the intern to lie to his superior.

And that wasn't even the most consequential development of that summer. No, no, that was far worse and a very touchy subject for Carl to even think about: The day he turned... (pausing for dramatic buildup) ...Evil. _What_, he later wondered while trying to find sleep one particularly hot midnight, _was going through my mind?_ The answer itself didn't surprise the intern. Rather, the speed at which he arrived at it was what made him the most disappointed in himself. The reason he turned to the dark side was the one character flaw that Carl despised having in himself; he wanted attention. Glory. To be appreciated. _Extra credit_. Of course, the lack of this in Carl's life was part of his motivation, too (revenge was as common a motivation as greed) but that didn't make him any more wary of himself. _I mean_, he clearly remembered thinking, _I had background singer women inexplicably appear in that song. Only truly evil people can summon them! How could I have been so - so wrong? So evil?_

It disgusted him. That night, the temperature wasn't the only thing that kept him up until the morning.

It all came back to him. From the day he first showed himself to Agent P after Major Monogram was frozen in place to the day he went undercover as an ice cream man to the day he met Phineas and Ferb incognito; from the day he had shaved his own head to help disguise himself as the major's child to the day he created robots of the Flynn-Fletcher family to the day he personally powered his boss's jacuzzi to the day he wiped the memory of everyone who learned about Agent P; to the day he saved Major Monogram's life and then finally got a thank-you, Carl came upon a conclusion: _I had a good run. And if I ever get the chance to repay this organization, I'll take it._

Carl took note of the patterns in the sidewalk as he walked dejectedly away from City Hall. He stepped forward again, wandering aimlessly, and spotted something quite peculiar on the concrete. The patch of shiny minerals in-between cracks had seemed vaguely familiar. It was then that Carl realized what he was doing: Traveling in circles. Around the O.W.C.A headquarters.

"I must have... Came back here out of habit..." Carl gasped. The building's gates had been left open, and beside them were various agents, out of uniform and hardly stirring.

* * *

"What are we even doing with this?" Linda asked Perry for the hundredth time, forgetting that the platypus was incapable of telling her. The two were hovering outside Dr. Doofenshmirtz's purple skyscraper, each holding onto one half of the mirror. "Oh, right..." The woman realized, "You just show me. I'll follow."

Perry reminded the woman to be quiet; they couldn't be seen under any circumstances. So, the monotreme led her closer to the building, ever thankful that she had more control over the jet pack than before. As he did so, he inched closer to the unmoving range of the Fail-Intor. They could see the balcony from where they were, and the man who had sat sulking on it.

Perry gave the signal and the two glided into range. _Four... Three... Two... One!_ Perry counted in his head the seconds until his plan would come into action. The ray did find its way to the mirror, which, as Perry had planned, had reflected it - but not in the way he had calculated. Instead of making a beeline towards the doctor, the beam curved upward and arced down to hit Doofenshmirtz's shoe, which in turn fell apart and left the man wondering why he was suddenly half-barefoot.

"A funhouse mirror. Good going," Linda commented, as sarcastic as ever. At this, Doof turned to see his unwelcomed guests. "You know, according to Candace, there were plenty of very large, regular mirrors that would have done the job just fine."

The platypus watched in horror as Doofenshmirtz walked up to the balcony, aggravated. "What are you talking about?" He demanded, "And Perry the Platypus, what are you doing with... Wait, Lindana!?"

"I go by Linda now," Ex-Lindana corrected, "Do I know you?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm Heinz Doofenshmirtz, but please just call me Heinz... Linda."

"Doofenshmirtz... So, you're the man who wanted me on that weird game show."

"That's me! But what are you doing with my nemesis on a jet pack holding a funhouse mirror five feet off the edge of my balcony, after all we've been through together?"

Linda turned to Perry. "If I've ever heard a stranger sentence, I can't recall it now," she said, "And what on Earth do you mean by 'all we've been through together'?"

"We-We, uh, how do I put this... We kind of went to a drive-in movie once, and, um, yeah, that's pretty much it."

"So, what you're telling me is-"

"I know, this is awkward for me, too... But let me get this straight: You're _not_ a robot?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"Well, are you or aren't you?"

This was an interesting day for Linda, no-doubt. "No, I'm not a robot."

"Just making sure. Anyway, what are you doing with Perry the Platypus!?"

Before anyone could continue, Perry sensed that the machine was about to fire again, and he pulled himself and his companion out of the way, accidentally dropping the mirror in the process.

"I can't believe it!" A certain farmer's wife complained, "You signed me up for a weight-loss program without my consent? Are you saying something? I mean, look at me. I don't need it."

Just then, the mirror landed next to her and showed them both an image that was not, how you say, _flattering_.

"Huh," the lady stated, "I guess I must retract my former statement."

_Great_, Perry thought, _There goes all false hope that we could win._

"Perry," Linda whispered, "I have a hand mirror in my bag. Could that help?"

Her partner immediately nodded, counting the seconds until the next blast. He accepted the makeup case, flipped it open, and aimed carefully for the doctor. He soon found out that, with the balcony in the way, there was no direct route between the two if the -Inator's aim wasn't moved.

Everyone turned at the sound of a small object sliding across the floor. Upon further inspection, Doofenshmirtz found that the object was a blue bracelet of some sort. He looked across his balcony in the direction from which it came, and saw a teenage girl he didn't quite recognize.

"I'm so busted," Stacy admitted, flying above the other side of the terrace on a jet pack of her own.

"Who is this!?" The evil scientist asked Perry and Linda, throwing his hands towards the girl.

"Stacy?" The woman questioned.

"Yeah, it's me, but there's no time for introductions. Doofenshmitrz, I'm here to stop you." Thinking fast about her experience trying to teach herself how to use the jet pack, Stacy sailed across the room, just missing the enemy. Doof spun in circles while recovering from the air pushed around him from the device.

"Perry, go!" Stacy instructed the agent, and he did so. With his hovercraft that repels all matter below it, he flew directly over the dizzy Doofenshmirtz, who in turn was pushed to the ground while Perry was simultaneously thrusted upwards. He skidded over to the other side to see Linda following. The poor man couldn't get two seconds worth of balance before he was cut off by one of the two.

While Linda and Perry kept Doofenshmirtz distracted, Stacy was trying to figure out how to hit him with the beam. She couldn't manually unlock the machine's aim; she knew that. But while she watched the video at home, she saw something that Perry had apparently missed. There was a hidden button on the -Inator itself, and she could see now that it controlled the direction of the machine's barrel. Unfortunately, she couldn't touch it herself, but Stacy had an idea.

As she had before, Stacy removed a blue bracelet (this time the one that had beads strung onto it) from her left wrist and stretched it out, nice and taught, aiming it like a slingshot for the button.

Contact! As Perry turned the bottom end of his hovercraft to face his nemesis's side (sending them both flying in opposite directions) in the background, the teen did a silent fist-pump in victory. The -Inator was now pointing directly at Doofenshmirtz, who had apparently given up on trying to stand and collapsed pitifully on the floor.

The next problem was how to get the machine to fire. It hadn't for the past five minutes and Stacy was worried that it had depleted its battery. Either that, or it was jammed somehow.

Taking the chance that it was the second case, Stacy started considering her options. If she could hit the machine with something large enough, it may get one last beam out. The problem was, she had nothing to use; she couldn't touch it, she needed her jet pack for transportation home, and Perry and Linda couldn't help her. There was nothing... Until Stacy found a retired machine in the corner.

"A... Waffle-Inator?" The teen questioned. She dismissed the randomness, for this was perfect.

Perfect, but out of range. The Waffle-Inator was in the most intricate place in the room - the controls were facing off the balcony, but Stacy couldn't get so close to it with her jet pack still on. "Oh!" She gasped, "I think I left a hair band in my pocket. Aha!"

For the third time, Stacy pulled back on the elastic and sent it flying. It activated the Waffle-Inator, which fired exactly once; its ammo collided with the barrel of the Fail-Inator, which darkened the waffle but also blasted a blue ray towards the one-shoe-ed evil scientist.

Doofenshmirtz looked up to see the ray hurtling in his direction. The last thing he uttered under his breath before the tables turned the joke was on him again was, "Curse you, Lindana and scary greasy girl and Perry the Platypus!"

* * *

The three knew, then, that they were finished; maybe needed elsewhere. "I've never been cursed like that before," Linda told Perry once they were a safe distance away, "Have you?"

If he were capable, Perry would have burst into laughter. _You have no idea_, he thought as he nodded.

"One more thing," she turned to Stacy, "How'd you do it? Beat Doofenshmirtz, I mean?"

"Oh, it's a long story," the teen said, "Involving a waffle and three rubber band bracelets."

Linda faltered for a second, finally realizing the nature of the generation below hers. "I have so much to learn," she admitted.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summer belongs to you!  
Summer belongs to you!  
Summer belongs to everyone, so have some-**

**Oh, the readers are here. Sorry 'bout that! (*turns off music*)**

**Anyway, here's to the start of another awesome summer, and Carpe Diem to all! Can you believe this story's over already? I sure can't, but I know one thing: It was super fun!**

**And remember how last chapter was the longest yet? Well, this one is just over TWICE that long.**

* * *

"Better take it all in," Phineas stated, "This may be all the summer we have left."

He and Ferb strolled up to the door of their house, and, finding the door unusually locked, Phineas knocked politely on it. A few seconds later, their mother answered.

"Phineas and Ferb, there you are," she started, stern, "I've been worried sick about you. Come in, I want to speak with you about something."

"Anything at all," her redhead son offered.

Candace met the rest of her family in the living room, the biggest of smiles plastered on her face. She gripped her completed homework assignment tightly. Today was the day! Phineas and Ferb were busted. She didn't have to worry about homework. Everything was finally working out. What a perfect way to end the summer!

Sitting, distraught, on the living room sofa, Linda placed a crisp brown hat on the side table. "Boys, I must say that I am-" she started to say, but was cut off almost immediately.

"Mom, where'd you get the fedora?" Phineas asked cautiously.

"It's... Uh..." His mother started. She couldn't tell them that it belonged to Perry. She couldn't tell them that their platypus had given it to her to keep. She couldn't tell them, even if it were allowed, that he had left for good after having his cover blown.

"Oh, that's mine," Ferb explained. He placed it on his head, and, after receiving strange looks from everyone in the room, continued, "Bastille Day."

"That's right," his brother remembered. He leaned in towards the hat and commented, "It smells like platypus. Speaking of which, where's-"

"_Don't say it,_" Linda interrupted. "As I was saying, I am _very_ disappointed in the both of you."

"For what?" Phineas asked, alarmed.

"What do you think? Take a wild guess."

After a few seconds of contemplating, Phineas did so. "Was it our turn to do the dishes? I thought we did it last week."

"If you're lucky, you'll be doing dishes for a long time. Don't think I didn't see what you've been up to. A rollercoaster? A giant maze? A molecular separator? Why on Earth would you do all this without my permission?"

"Well... We, uh, didn't and said we did with that last one."

"Answer the question."

"Wow," Phineas said, "Strict.

"And, how I hate to answer your question with my own question, but what do you mean by, 'without my permission'?"

"You never told me about this! Do you know how dangerous all of these projects are? You nearly gave me a heart attack today. And I don't want you making any more of these... These _things_again until I say so. Understood?"

"Woah! Woah," Candace interjected, "No more building for you two? Are you going to be opkay?" She cleared her throat. "_O_kay?"

Phineas wasn't sure what the answer was, or even if there was one. "Ye-Yeah, we'll be fine..." The boy stammered, "But, uh, dare I ask if we can at least, you know, finish this one? A lot of people are counting on us. We couldn't do it ourselves, but maybe with your help, we can pull through! Please?"

"Phineas, no. What did I just say?"

At that moment, Phin's cell phone started ringing; the tone was none other than "Gitchee Gitchee Goo." He picked it up in two seconds. "Hello," he greeted, "This is Phineas Flynn, can I help you?"

Her son's sudden change from a pleading tone to a professional one surprised Linda. How was it that he seemed so experienced, so used to this?

"Yes, ma'am. That's us."

He was so respectful, yet still so cheerful. Linda had taught her son well, and she was proud.

"It-It did? How did that happen?"

Whatever could he be talking about? And to whom is he speaking so politely? Curiosity took his mother over.

"Well, that makes sense."

And what was this professional's business with her son? What had he done to be considered as important as the adult on the other line?

"Oh, that's wonderful news!"

And to succeed in the community of such people... Linda realized just how hard her son worked at whatever it was he did on a daily basis.

"I'll tell everyone as soon as I get the chance."

And his smile, which was so large it was almost disturbing, had shown her how much and how sincerely he cared. It touched her heart.

Phineas hung up. "Guys!" He said excitedly, "We're back in! The courts want to see us as soon as possible!"

* * *

One hour, sixteen minutes, and exactly forty-three phone calls later, Linda was still trying to get things straight. Pulling up to the District Court of the Tri-State Area after her sons dressed into a quite dapper pair of suits, she tried once again to summarize what she had heard.

"So, the mayor, Roger Doofenshmirtz, was hit with a blue beam."

"Yes," Phineas confirmed.

"And that made people want him impeached."

"Yup."

"But you two had another court case, _which I did not know about_."

"Right again." The family exited the car and started walking towards the building.

"And they couldn't be bothered to let you in, because of the mayor's case."

"That's what it sounded like."

"Well, that doesn't make very much sense."

"Believe it," Candace chirped, "Nothing that happened this summer makes any sense."

"Anyway," her mom continued, "Just as the decision was about to be made, the entire jury had a change of heart, and the case ended early?"

"According to Melanie."

"Who's Melanie?" Linda asked Phineas.

"The mayor's secretary. She was the one who called me."

"Okay. And one more thing: How did you manage to get a case in the District Court of the Tri-State Area, with a lawyer and everything, without my knowing?"

"Um... Very carefully?" Phineas's explanation was more of a question than an answer, but his mother decided not to push the subject.

"Anyway, do you know this person? What's the lawyer's name, and when are we supposed to meet him?"

"Well, actually, it's a 'her.' I've heard she is the best lawyer in Danville, and she should be here any - hey, look!"

As he said this, a short, white limousine pulled up an out of it stepped a very professionally dressed woman with dazzling green eyes (one might even call them "emerald") and brown hair tucked into a neat bun. She approached them, smiling warmly.

"Excuse me, but do you happen to be the Flynn-Fletchers?" She asked.

"Yes; I'm Phineas Flynn, and my brother here is Ferb Fletcher," explained the boy. He shook hands with the woman.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Mr., uh, Flynn. I must say, aren't you a little young to be issuing a case here?"

"Yes. Yes I am."

"Alright, then. I am Brooke Winters, and I am to be your lawyer for today." **(A/N: Thank you, Jet Engine!)**

"Great!" Called Phineas, and the five started up the stairs of the courthouse, waiting for some other members of Operation: Carpe Diem to arrive.

"I have to go inside to set some things up," Brooke said, excusing herself. "See you in a few."

"Opkay," Phineas said on purpose. He received a glare from Candace, but only snickered.

* * *

Within ten more minutes, everyone expected to be present was. Isabella, some of the Fireside Girls, and Irving had brought the completed petitions, Vanessa showed up to appear as a witness, and Baljeet arrived claiming that he had a special point to make.

"Hey, Vanessa," Candace dared once they met at the front of the courthouse, "How'd your bust go?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, I think you would have interest in knowing that today, I _busted_ my brothers." Candace examined her fingernails as she said this, "Right, Mom? Tell Vanessa what you told the boys."

In a difficult position, Linda saw no choice but to do so. "Well, I came home today and saw all of these dangerous things, and Candace told me that Phineas and Ferb made them."

"And..?" Candace prompted, still grinning smugly.

"And that everyone here was helping them. Vanessa, is this true?"

The teen found herself incapable of denying this. "Yes, it... It is."

"So you were helping my sons build dangerous contraptions, without my permission."

Oh, now Vanessa saw her mistake. "Uh, yeah..."

"Then," this was for Candace more than anyone else, "Consider yourself busted, young lady."

"Woo-hoo!" Candace sang in celebration in a teasing rhythm, "_I_ busted Va_ness_a! _I_ busted Va_ness_a!"

"Wait a minute, Candace," the aforementioned teen interrupted, "First of all, stop that; and second, if you're not helping your brothers, then what are you doing here at court with them? You do realize that everyone is expecting you to support their case."

"What? No... They are?" Candace asked, suddenly worried.

"Yeah. Totally. Ask anyone, they'll tell you."

"But-But I don't want them to - it's-it's not what I... I wasn't helping them, I was busting them."

"That's what you thought, huh? Then maybe we should take you off the list of witnesses. Look at this." Vanessa handed her a clipboard with the names of everyone there. She read down the paper.

"Jenny Brown, Vanessa Doofenshmirtz - Wow, you have a weird last name - Irving Du Bois, Ferb Fletcher, Candace Flynn, Phineas Flynn... Wait, Candace Flynn? Why am I on here?"

"Well, too late to change it now," Vanessa said, taking the paper back, "I guess you _are_ helping them. Hypocrite."

Very worried now, Candace asked (or started to) in a hushed voice, "So, does that mean..?"

"Yup," Vanessa grinned somewhat evilly, "You're busted. See you on the podium."

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen, quiet down now."

The judge did his best to restore order to allow the hearing to start. "Thank you. Now, Mr. Flynn, you are the plaintiff, correct? Please come up to the front of this courtroom and state your case."

Swallowing hard, Phineas balled his fists and walked unsteadily up to the microphone. _I must be hungry_, he thought. _That would explain this weird feeling in my stomach. And my arms. And my legs._

_Aw, who am I kidding? I have anxiety. But I can and have to do this! I'll do it for summer!_

He cleared his throat, and started, "Thank you, your honor. I would like to address the problems with a recently signed law. According to Section 27, Article 6 of the Danville Accords, 'Any school district or public educational facility in the Tri-State Area must be in session for nine months of each year. The three remaining months are to be issued as vacation time; they must not be consecutive, however.' Therefore, I find it impossible for such a thing as summer vacation to exist, so in the name of every child in the entire Tri-State Area, I am going to challenge that legislation; and that, your honor, is why I am here today."

"Fair enough," the judge said, dismissing Phineas. "Defendant, it's your turn."

"You were great up there," Brooke praised Phineas quietly, "You might make a good lawyer someday."

"Thanks."

"_Defendant!_" The judge ordered. "That's you, Mr. Doyle."

A flustered, disorganized, and busy-looking man realized that he was needed and tried in vain to gather his belongings. He was partially bald on the top of his large head and had brown hair that came to a point in the sides, which went down to another point at his chin forming a small beard. He wore a pair of dark green glasses and a long, white shirt that minimally resembled a lab coat. Vanessa was sure she'd seen him from somewhere, but couldn't quite place his appearance.

Taking only what he decided he absolutely needed, the defendant cautiously approached the podium. "Uh, yes, I'm the one who... Who signed the law a week ago. I am a firm believer that students today must have a sufficient education, or they may not be successful. This summer vacation that has existed before is simply a distraction to every child in the otherwise wonderful Tri-State Area. Without it, I believe students will become much more intelligent, focused, and better prepared for their futures; and because one may only effectively lead a city for so long, they will be better prepared for _our_ futures as the leaders of tomorrow. Should this case not be decided in my favor, then all that they will focus on are unnecessary things such as fun, creativity, and spontaneous musical numbers."

"Thank you, Mr. Doyle," the judge continued, "Now, I'd like to ask that the lawyers of both litigants come up and take oath. On the plaintiff's side, Miss Brooke Winters."

The woman stepped up to the podium and did so, having done this professionally several times.

"And on the defendant's side, Mr. Aloyse von Roddenstein."

Vanessa gasped sharply at this as the man was sworn in. Whether or not she knew this 'Mr. Doyle' from someplace, she definitely recognized Rodney. She suddenly knew what she was going to say on her turn.

One by one, the young witnesses took their turns contributing to the case. Irving, Isabella, Adyson and Gretchen provided the judge with the petitions - over 300 had signed them - and each of the children provided beautiful descriptions of how summer had affected them (Positively, of course). Isabella's nearly made the judge cry.

"N-Next..." The judge sniffed.

"I believe that is me," Baljeet volunteered from the side of the room where most of the witnesses sat. "Before I go, however, I want to request that Ginger comes up with me."

"Of course, Baljeet," the girl yipped happily.

"Baljeet Tjinder," the judge introduced, "And Ginger Hirano. Alright, you may begin."

"Yes, your honor," Baljeet said respectfully, "Thus far, I have yet to see a witness propose this point, one which I may hope to bring light to now. With the aid of my friend next to me, I have come upon the conclusion that students will in fact be _better_ educated and more motivated if summer vacation is allowed. That is because with the removal of summer vacation comes the removal of summer school. Now, summer school is one of the most beneficial aspects of education and summer vacation alike, in my opinion; it is a combination of both and a wonderful experience for both those who need the extra learning as well as those, like me, who enjoy the opportunity. One who fails the school year that starts in September and ends in June may be able to meet the standards to be promoted to the next grade by attending summer school. One who already does well in the normal school year and for whatever reason chooses not to attend summer school has something to look forward to: When they are dismissed at the start of summer. I am sure you do not disagree with me on this statement.

"That being said, a year without summer vacation is a year without summer school and its many benefits. Should the months set aside as separate vacations be nonconsecutive, well, _I_ would find it difficult to establish three separate programs to replace summer school, would you not?"

The commotion that followed Baljeet's speech was long and winded. As the clamor died down, the boy turned to Ginger and said, "Thank you once again for bringing this subject to light for me. If not for you, I would still be in favor of the opinions of _that_ man." Baljeet pointed towards the Mr. Doyle, who was despite his age still trying to get his act (and possessions) together.

"Who do you think he is?" Ginger asked, "I mean, he must work for the government or something, but there is just something about him that is just..."

She didn't continue. "Just what?" Asked her partner, but she didn't get to answer.

"Order, order!" The judge shouted, "Tjinder, Hirano, you have a very good point that I'm sure will help the decision. Please take a seat to let another witness have their turn."

"Yes, your honor," Ginger said as they exited the podium.

"The next witness is Candace Flynn. Is she present?"

"No, your honor," Phineas explained, "She left for the bathroom a few minutes ago."

He thought back to the event. Man, Candace could be stubborn sometimes. As Baljeet and Ginger walked up to the front of the court together, he remembered telling her that she would probably be next.

"No!" She had responded a bit too loudly, "I mean, uh, I don't think I can - I mean, you know, want to. I can't, wouldn't, won't do it. I'm not going up there, Phineas."

Well, maybe it was Phineas's undying love for summer that was talking, or maybe he was especially tired, or maybe he had just had a long day, but Phineas felt something inside him give way and almost break completetly. "But, Candace. You're not going to help us? You-You came all this way just to turn your back on us like that? Why - how could you!?"

"I don't think you understand, Phineas," his sister testified, "This isn't my place. You're the ones who should be here, doing this, not me. I got what I wanted, now you have to finish your job, without me."

"Why, Candace?" The hurt in his eyes was unmistakable.

"I, uh, kind of made a bet, so to speak, with Vanessa, and if I go up there, I'll either have to take the defendant's side, or, you know, lose. You wouldn't understand. I don't have anything useful to contribute, anyway."

"Sure you do! Remember who you are, Candace. And, what's a silly little bet in comparison to saving summer for the whole Tri-State Area?"

"I don't know, I'm just not going up there. I... I think I'm just going to make a run to the bathroom."

"Candace, wait!" Phineas called as she started to get up, "Don't go now, we need you."

Candace leaned back. "Don't make me pull a Perry on you," she remarked.

"What does that even mean?"

Phineas's attention turned back to the hearing as the judge shouted, "Order, order!"

During the interruption, Candace took the opportunity to flee the scene; sighing, Phineas turned to see her already ten feet away and turning out a back door. _I hope she knows where she's going_, the boy thought, still hurt, but still optimistic.

"Okay, then; instead, Vanessa Doofenshmirtz will testify her side of the case. Is _she_ present?"

"Yes," Vanessa said as she stepped up to the front of the courtroom, "Yes, I am. Swear me in."

"I wish you the best," Ferb admitted after her.

The dark-haired teen felt a ton and a half of pressure on her when she tapped twice on the microphone, making sure it was still functioning properly. She closed her eyes, sighed, and started, "Ladies and gentlemen. I come before this court today in the presence of an awesome group of people who I can't believe are younger than I am. Before I continue, I am going to define that word for you: 'awesome.' Many people use this word in slang language when they mean 'impressive,' 'beautiful,' or sometimes 'fortunate.' If I were to say that I have never used it in that sense, well, I would be lying. But now, when I say 'awesome,' I mean what I say; and these children are indeed some awesome people."

A short round of applause came from the jury, but stopped so that Vanessa could finish.

"These are the kids who built rollercoasters, who have time traveled twice, who have circumnavigated the globe in a single 40-hour day, and still came home in time for supper. These are the children that have changed the way we speak, who have met superheroes in person, who have been to outer space I don't know how many times. These are the people who will stand up and do anything for each other; they have even saved my life more than once. To be among them now is an honor so great it makes their young age a frivolous matter. If you wouldn't mind looking out the window, you will see my point."

Half of the people in the room rushed to the nearest window, cramming together to see what was meant by the teen.

"Everything you see out there - and I'm not talking about nature - those contraptions, the inventions, the out of the ordinary; would you like to take a guess as to who made it? Well, I'll tell you now: It was us, the children of Danville, who have brought you this technology. That being said, politely raise your hand if you have a child of your own."

The entirety of the jury, though it was a small entirety, did so. Vanessa didn't quite expect this reaction, but she liked it.

"Wonderful," she said, "Now, what if I were to tell you that your sons or daughters are capable of creating all of this? And while you wrap your brains around that, what if I were to tell you that all of this creativity, this freedom, exists because of the actuality of summer vacation? Take that away, and just how awesome can we be without what makes us who we are? The truth is, nonconsecutive breaks like the ones that are to be if school starts tomorrow are nothing short of unfair, taxing, and unremunerative. If that doesn't matter to you, then there is one word, in my experience, that stands out as the best representation of your kind."

Vanessa gripped the sides of the podium and leaned in close to the mic, saying in a monotone voice, "_Evil_."

Gasps. Especially from the defendant's side.

"Mr. von Roddenstein. Would you care to tell me why you have so far contributed nothing to your side of the case?" Vanessa asked in a slightly accusing voice.

"Yes, actually, I will," said Rodney, "Doyle, the papers, please?"

After two uneasy minutes of ruffling various documents around, the client finally found the right one.

"Thank you very much." It is unknown whether or not Rodney meant this. Slipping on a pair of glasses, the 'lawyer' (note the apostrophes) read, apparently from the law itself, "Section 9, Article 4. No one under the age of 18 or still attending educational facilities, no matter the age, may challenge this letter in a legal court under any circumstances. Should one attempt to do so, the decision will become invalidated and the law will still stand."

Dead silence overtook the courtroom. The jury was afraid to think too loudly.

"Then, _I_ challenge this law."

Heads swiveled to face the speaker. Linda was standing to the side, her sons looking out from behind her.

"Today, I have seen what my children are capable of doing. The very fact that they have got this far on thier own has inspired me." She sighed and turned to Phineas and Ferb. "Please keep doing what you're doing. But promise to check safety on all of your inventions."

"That means we can build again?" Phineas asked, smiling hopefully.

"If I can win this case for you, then yes. That's what I said."

"Awesome!" Phineas said, nearly landing a high five with his brother, then awkwardly pulling away as they realized simultaneously what happened last time they did so.

Rodney stammered, realizing how badly he had set himself up. "Your honor, is-is that legal?"

"In your years of law school," Brooke started, "Have you learned that it is not?"

"Uh... Yes?"

"Okay... How long, exactly, did you even take law?"

"I... I don't-"

"You don't what, Mr. von Roddenstein? You don't want to answer the question? Afraid your friends at L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. will make fun?"

"Vanessa!" Brooke scolded the witness, "Do you have any proof of his membership?"

"Well, not on me, but I know him, he's an evil scientist! Come on, none of you believe me?"

"You can't just make accusations without anything to back them up. How do you know this man, Vanessa? Be careful, and remember the oath."

The teen sighed. _Everyone's_ eyes were on her, waiting for her to speak, but she couldn't. "My-My dad is... He's-"

"I believe Vanessa."

And suddenly, Ferb was there, silencing the court. Taking the teenager's hand, he claimed, "I have seen this man interacting with other members of L.O.V.E.C.U.P.C.A.K.E."

"L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N.," Vanessa corrected in a whisper.

"L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N." The boy repeated.

"And I believe Ferb," Phineas said, walking up with his brother and taking his other hand, "He wouldn't lie to me."

"I believe Phineas!" Isabella continued, adding herself to the chain. With this, Adyson, Gretchen, Ginger, Baljeet, Jenny, and Irving stepped forwards as well to announce their opinions. Soon, an army of children had walked up to the podium, each holding each other's hands.

"And there you have it," Vanessa concluded, finding that savoir-faire that seemed to have disappeared when she needed it the most. "Rodney, Doyle, do you object?"

It's funny how quickly pressure can shift from one person to another. Facing all odds (and all eyes), the evil scientist saw no choice, nowhere to run.

"Fine! I admit it. Mr. Doyle and I are members of the League Of Villainous Evildoers Maniacally United For Frightening Investments in Evil. Come, James, let's high-tail it out of here."

Rodney grabbed his client by the arm, giving him about a second to grab his belongings. "And don't think I won't have my revenge!" Rodney vowed before leaving the courthouse, "Maybe not today, but tomorrow, look out!"

Unfortunately, no one had made any attempt to stop them. Fortunately, however, the judge was left with one decision to make. "Brooke Winters," he started, "Please turn to Section 18, Article 7 of the Danville Accords."

"Yes, your honor. 'Section 18, Article 7. Should at any time either litigant or their respective lawyers run out of a court case vowing revenge, the case is automatically decided in the other litigant's favor.' So, does this mean we win?" The smile on Brooke's face was rivaled only by the one on Phineas's.

"Indeed it does. Mrs. Flynn-Fletcher, I find this case in your favor. Congratulations!"

Candace, having gotten slightly lost in the building, poked her head in the courtroom to see everyone in the room celebrating. "So, did you _really_ see Rodney with L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N.?" Vanessa asked Ferb very quietly.

After a moment's hesitation, Ferb explained, "I was never sworn in."

* * *

Everyone was celebrating. People were cheering. Only one person was really upset. And as that person headed back into the courtroom through the throngs of people, no one really noticed her - that is, until she found her family at the back of the room.

"Candace," Phineas beamed, "We, uh, we won!"

"I can see that," the teen replied. "So, summer's not going to end tomorrow?"

"Not as far as I can tell," her brother said. "Isn't it great?"

"I guess so."

Phineas was typically oblivious to the feelings of others, particularly feelings of negativity. Call him a heartbreaker, call him naïve, but he's human, too, and sometimes when someone really needs him to pull through, he will; and now, the universe let him see something in Candace that he would normally dismiss. "You seem down," he observed, "Why?"

"Well, if you haven't noticed, I'm not too particularly excited to be so involved in this... Operation: Carpe Diem, you called it?"

"Yup. Candace, did something happen that you're not telling me? You're not yourself today."

"Phineas," his sister started, "I failed myself. Today would have been such a perfect last day, you know what I mean? And to think - I finally showed Mom what you did, but you're going to go on building stuff for the rest of the summer, right? With no punishment from Mom whatsoever?"

"Oh, Candace," Phineas tried to console her. "If that's a problem, we'll stop. Granted, we might not turn out opkay. But we'll manage, I'm sure!"

"That's not what I'm saying, Phin. What I'm saying is, this just proves that I can't do anything right; even when I accomplish my goals, it'll be like nothing happened. Remember this Fathers' Day? I might as well have just failed."

"No, no, no, dear sister, no one failed today." He thought back again to that dusk, when he and Ferb had a similar experience on the rollercoaster. "That's right. No one did, and that includes you."

Candace studied every word that her brother said. "If you say so," she muttered. "But I have to take care of something."

"Well, looks like you're going to have to run that over with someone else. Our lawyer is calling me."

"But-"

"Oh, check it out. It's someone else." Phineas left Candace to stand there in her thoughts while 'someone else' approached the sulking teen.

"Uh, hey, Candace," Vanessa greeted coolly. "It's fancy meeting you here."

"Alright, what do you want?" Candace snapped, "Aren't you finished humiliating me in front of the whole operation?"

"Actually, that's why I'm here," began Vanessa. "I just wanted to say I'm... I'm sorry about that, okay? I didn't mean to get you down, I was just going for the bust, you know how it is. I was wrapped up in the moment."

Now was the first time Candace actually met the eyes of her day-only rival. "You know, calling me a hypocrite isn't really a legitimate bust, is it?" She asked, faking hurt, "But I totally know how it is! Do you know how many times busting my brothers has gotten in the way of my life? But when a girl's gotta bust, a girl's gotta bust."

"You got that right," joked Vanessa. "Did I tell you about the time I was too busy trying to bust my dad, I didn't notice he was in the middle of a musical number?"

At this, Candace let out a snorty laugh and countered, "Did you hear about the time I tried to bust Phineas and Ferb in my sleep?"

"Wow, no I haven't. So, uh, there's no hard feelings then?"

"No hard feelings," Candace replied with a smile. "By the way, you have a really good singing voice."

"Thanks, you're not too bad either." Vanessa chuckled, "That was actually kind of fun. The song, I mean; we make a great team."

"Even when we're at each other's throats," specified Candace, "'Yeah, I'll school you how to do it right!'? _How_ do you come up with that?"

"You say this like you haven't ever improvised a song."

"Eh, good point. We should do that more often." Candace wondered why, for a moment, the Ducky Momo theme song came into her head. Well, anything's possible.

"Yes," Vanessa agreed. "Yes, we should."

* * *

"For the last time, Agent Kitty. I told you, I have no idea what you're saying," Carl tried to get it through the tabby's head, "So you'll have to tell me why you and the other agents are here without your fedoras some other way. What happened?"

The cat tried again in vain to explain; while he did so, a certain platypus agent walked up to the gates surprised to see Carl there. He waved to the intern and joined his coworkers in sulking.

"Agent P, you too!?" Carl gasped, "What are you all doing here? Where's your hat?"

If Carl didn't figure out soon that there was no way of the animals providing him with the information, he wasn't ever going to. Luckily for them, they didn't have to try any longer. One phone call from Major Monogram himself and each of the agents met with O.W.C.A. staff for an important meeting.

"Is that everyone?" The major asked, sounding exhausted.

"I think so, sir," his intern responded, "Now, what was it you wanted to tell me that was so important?"

"Uh, yes. It seems as though the law that made summer end early has been repealed. So, first off, I want to take the opportunity to invite you back to the agency, Carl. It's your choice, but-"

"Yes!" He interrupted, "I'll do it. Sign me back up, and all that."

"Noted. Second, I would like to have a word with one of our agents. Yes, that's you, Agent P."

The platypus shifted in his chair uncomfortably. He knew it would come to this. Respectfully, he nodded to his superior.

"Agent P, I just received a call from the mother figure of your host family. I take it that your cover has been blown again?"

Perry chattered sadly, then nodded once more.

"Well, I am afraid you know the consequences. I am also aware that you are not the only agent that has experienced this today. Of course, relocating you all would be extremely costly, and that just isn't in the budget right now. The organization is in a very delicate position today, and we can't afford any more losses. We would use the Monkey Wrench, which as you know is the codename for the mind-erasing device, but we can't just go around asking people if they know their pet is a secret agent. Plus, sources, and by sources I mean Agent P's host mother, tell us that the one who signed the law was actually a L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. member who infiltrated the Tri-State government. They meant to cause confusion, and they did so enough that O.W.C.A. is obligated to do something about it. I propose we erase the memories of the legislation - and everything they learned because of it - from the people who know your secret.

"That's why I want each of you who had your covers blown today to write down the names and roles of anyone in your host family who found out. There are index cards in the middle of the table."

Perry and the other animal agents each took one. In his best pawwriting, the platypus wrote:

_Linda Flynn-Fletcher, Host mother._

Content with his slip, Perry slid the card back to the center of the table. Major Monogram read the roles out loud as he flipped through them.

"Let's see... Host father, Host mother, Host mother, Host stepfather, Host father, Host second-cousin twice removed (with a kid), Host father... I'm beginning to sense a pattern here."

"It looks like everyone here is a parent of some sort," Carl observed, "Say, what if we just set the Monkey Wrench to target all of the parents in the Tri-State Area? It would just save time, and besides, those who aren't raising children really weren't affected by the legislation all that much, right?"

"Hm, that's true... Carl, why don't you do that? Consider it your first mission back in the O.W.C.A."

"Okay, sir! I'll do that right now."

"Carl, wait!" Monogram called, and the enthusiastic intern turned.

"What is the problem, sir?"

"Could you, uh, make sure not to use it on me? I am technically in the 'parent' community."

"That's right, sir. I'll make the necessary adjustments."

* * *

Elevators. They were so much less tedious than stairs, and were easy on acrophobes (as long as they didn't have glass walls). Vanessa counted the floors until she arrived at her father's penthouse suite.

"It's already 11:45," she grumbled, "Well, I should hope to consider this day 'seized.'"

"Uh, Vanessa?" Dr. Doofenshmirtz asked, "What happened today? The last thing I remember was working on my Fail-Inator, then it felt like I got hit on the head with a monkey wrench of all things.

"Oh, that's right! My Fail-Inator, I have to finish it before Perry the Platypus gets here!" He got up and walked out to the balcony, startled to find that it was already dark out.

"Dad, are you feeling okay?" Vanessa asked for her father's sake, "It's been a long, long day. Maybe you should lie down."

"I just don't get it. What happened to the sun?"

"Nothing, Dad. Come on, let's get you to bed."

"But... But..."

"Come _on_."

"Okay..." The evil scientist finally agreed, "And, uh, thanks. Could you fill me in tomorrow?"

"Uh, I'm with Mom tomorrow."

"Oh. Alright, good night, Vanessa. I'll see you in the morning, I guess. Though I can't say I remember much since _this_ morning... Don't forget to brush your teeth... And stuff... Yeah, maybe I should lay down."

Vanessa smiled. Her father went a little cooky when he got drowsy. "Good night, Dad," she said as she walked into her room, "Or as some might say, _Carpe Noctam_."

Latin's fun.

* * *

Phineas, Ferb, and Isabella, the only people still outside at that hour, sat under a certain tree in a certain backyard, doing nothing but loving summer.

"So, what do you want to do now?" Asked Phineas, "Well, not now, per se, but tomorrow. What can we do if the block party's off?"

"Anything, Phineas," Isabella prompted, "As long as we enjoy this summer together, you know, now that we can. As long as we're together, doesn't matter what we do. Look." She pointed up to the summer sky, and Phineas followed as she showed him what she meant. "That, up there, all the stars, the light, it's like... Magic. Isn't it all amazing?"

"Perhaps the word you're looking for is 'awesome'," Ferb referenced, keeping Vanessa's speech in mind.

"It's wonderful, isn't it?" Phineas contemplated. "Just like..."

"This morning," Isabella finished. "Oh, you don't know how happy that made me. And now..." She almost cried out of joy. "Now we can see this every day together. We can just... _Be_ together in this summer." She closed her eyes and breathed the crisp, damp (but comfortable), almost warm summer evening air. And at that moment, slipping her hand into Phineas's, Isabella knew exactly what they had been working for all day. And she discovered that she would do anything for moments like this; she would do anything for summer. In fact, she would repeat today in a heartbeat. But she did have one question for Phineas.

"Nothing's going to take this from us, right? Promise we can do this every night, just you and me?"

"And Ferb," Phineas corrected, "and maybe Buford and Baljeet. Everyone should come. In fact... Everyone in the world should know about this! Isabella, that's it! I know what we're gonna do tomorrow."

"What's that?" She asked. "And what are we going to do about the block party?"

"Well, we can reschedule that," Phineas explained. "We should be celebrating. Summer. Tomorrow. The question is, how...?"

The children stared at the evening sky for a few quiet moments. "With a song," the girl suggested.

"A song?"

"Yeah," she winked at Phineas, "I figured it would be appropriate."

"Well," the boy smiled, "Does anything come to mind?"

"We can do the one from this morning," Isabella said quickly, "Or... Or 'Summer Belongs to You!' That was fun, right, Phineas?"

The memories of both were quite pleasant to the kids. Phineas was having different thoughts, though.

"No."

"No?"

"No. They're both kind of overused, don't you think?"

Isabella said, "Yeah," but it is unknown whether or not she meant it.

"We should write a new song. How about that? Make it just for the occasion."

Yes! Isabella could write a song about summer with Phineas? She was ecstatic. "Ooh, yeah!" She agreed enthusiastically, "Ooh, ooh, yeah!"

"Hm, you know, that's not too bad. I'll make a note." Phineas said. "Actually, for the title, how does 'Summer All Over the World' sound?"


End file.
